The Hunted
by Tardis19
Summary: The Swan sisters spent years learning their father's trade and with him gone, the two are left alone to follow in his footsteps. Vampire hunting. It's a dangerous job, but one they're good at until everything goes wrong. Before long, the hunters will become the hunted, and Bella will have to set aside her prejudices and accept help from a sexy vampire. AU/Slightly OOC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm always a bit nervous when starting a new story. This one was inspired by the show _Supernatural_ which I spent way too many hours watching. I'll warn you right now that some of my characters are going to be a bit OOC. This story will update every Friday unless life gets in the way. Big thanks to the folks over at PTB for their awesome beta skills.**

* * *

"C'mon, sweet thang, don't be like that. I promise to make you feel good." the guy leered at Alice as she played coy in the dirty motel room we were in.

"I don't know," she said quietly. "Drugs are bad for you."

The guy with black hair gave a laugh and did his best to assure Alice it would be fine. He wanted to get her hopped up on drugs so when he killed her, she wouldn't make a fuss. Some vamps got off on listening to their prey scream and beg, while others didn't want to draw attention to themselves. Apparently, this guy was of the quiet variety. Too bad it was going to be his last night on earth. As Alice played him, I snuck out of the closet and tossed a vile of lighter fluid on his back.

"What the fuck?!" he roared, whirling around with a shocked look on his face when he saw me there. If he'd been more focused on his surroundings instead of on his next meal, I would've never taken him by surprise.

"Burn baby, burn," Alice said with a grin as she tossed the lighter she'd just lit on him. The fucker erupted into flames, letting out an anguished howl before turning into a pile of smoldering ash. The one good thing about vampires was that they burned quickly and left nothing but a pile of ash that could easily be swept up.

"Man, that was way too easy," Ali said as we cleaned up the mess the guy had made.

"I wish they were all that easy," I told her, thinking about the broken ribs and arm I'd gotten a few months ago after a vampire had gotten his arms around me. They were wicked strong and could crush a human easily.

"So, where to next?" she asked.

That was always the question. It all depended on where vampire attacks were. Sometimes, we'd spend days scouring the Internet and papers for suspicious deaths only to drive hundreds of miles and find nothing. Sometimes, we found more than we bargained for. Last year in Atlanta, we stumbled upon a small coven of vamps trying to take over the downtown area. We had to call in reinforcements because there was no way the two of us could take out six vamps at once. Hell, even with help it had almost been impossible, but we'd finished them off. It was our job. We were hunters, vampire hunters to be specific. There weren't a lot of us in the U.S., and we all tended to know one another. We might not have all gotten along or liked each other very well, but you could usually count on another hunter to help out or feed you information. It was just the way we worked.

I loved my job despite the fact it was a thankless job. We didn't get paid to hunt down and kill vamps. Most of our money came to us illegally, and our job was all about breaking the rules. Very little of what we did was legal. Hell, if we were ever caught by the police, I'd hate to think of the charges they'd throw our way: impersonation of federal or government employees, credit card fraud, theft, harboring of illegal weapons. Yeah, we'd be in a world of hurt and that was why we had to be constantly vigilant. Being a good liar didn't hurt either. Dad had taught me how to do the job and how to do it well. I owed it all to him.

Five hours later, I was checking us into a tiny motel off the beaten path. They were the best places to stay. Not only were they cheap, no one would think to look for us there, assuming anyone was looking for us. That and the decor in these places tended to crack me up.

We were in a small town in Oklahoma that had seen a few unusual deaths. Three people had been found dead in their homes, drained of blood, leaving the small town police baffled. That was where Alice and I would come in. We would pose as detectives from Oklahoma City, which was about thirty miles away.

"Oh, man. This has to be the best place yet," Alice said with a grin as she unlocked the door and it swung open. She wasn't kidding. The entire room was done in cheetah print, from the bedspreads, to the curtains, to the towels hanging near the sink. Hell, even the lampshades and the carpet were cheetah themed. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I snapped a picture. What? I had a collection going on.

I dropped my bag on the floor by the bed closest to the door and flopped down on the bed. It wasn't the most comfortable mattress in the world, but I'd slept on worse. With a sigh, I sat up and leaned over to grab my bag. We needed to go over our game plan for the morning.

"Got your badge?" I asked Alice as I dug through my bag for the small locked box containing all of my various IDs.

"Yep," she said, flashing me the badge that said she was Detective Melanie Daniels.

Once I got my box opened, I dug around and pulled out my own badge, Detective Helen Lyle. We knew a guy who ran a bar outside of St. Louis who made badges for hunters. When I'd first started hunting with Dad, he'd taken me to see Jared, who'd hooked me up with a ton of badges. When Alice had joined me in hunting last year, I'd taken her to see him as well. Thanks to him, I could pose as a FBI agent, CDC agent, ATF agent, detective, doctor, and hell, I even had a badge saying I worked for NASA. It was fucking awesome, and a must-have in our trade.

"Okay, so tomorrow we'll go talk to the sheriff and then hit up the morgue. After that, we'll ask around town if they've seen anyone or anything suspicious. The usual routine," I told her.

"Sounds good," she said with a grin.

She'd taken to the hunter life far quicker than I'd expected, but I wasn't convinced she was cut out to do this for life. Until a few years ago, she'd been a college student studying fashion design in New York, and then Dad had died. She'd dropped everything to be with me, but after a few months of moving from one place to the next, she'd grown restless and had gone back to school. It had been for the best, and I'd continued hunting on my own. Then one night, eighteen months ago, Alice had called me, hysterical. Her boyfriend had never returned from the bar and the next morning his body was found discovered behind a dumpster with slashes to his throat and wrists, and the police had found nothing to go on. But we both knew what had killed him.

Ali changed after his death. She'd become determined to hunt down the vampire bastard that had killed her boyfriend, Dean, and I was more than willing to help. We'd gathered information from Dean's friends and discovered that an unkempt guy with dreadlocks had been hanging around the bar they frequented. It took us surprisingly little time to hunt the vamp down. The cocky bastard hadn't left and we found him hiding out in a dirty motel room in the seedy part of town. We'd posed as hookers and he was more than willing to let us in to play. Asshole never stood a chance. We'd flambéed his ass with a couple of hand held flamethrowers. I'd thought for sure after we turned dreadlocks into ashes, Alice would go back to her college life, but to my surprise, she didn't. She'd chosen to come with me and so here we were hunting together. Dad would've been proud.

After a dinner of takeout burgers and fries, we settled in for the night, confident in our plan for the morning. We'd done the detective routine more than once, and we were damn good at pulling it off.

"Hold still, Bells. I need to add a few more wrinkles to your face," Alice said as she finished touching up my makeup. Since we were playing detectives, we needed to age ourselves up a bit seeing as how we were both in our early twenties.

"Perfect," she declared a few minutes later, I didn't have to look to know it was. Alice was a magician when it came to makeup and clothes. She'd sewn a bunch of suits and professional outfits for us. I had to admit, things were easier having her with me.

"Ready?" I asked, as I slid my feet into a pair of black slip-ons.

"Yep," she said.

The small town sheriff was so grateful to see us that he gave us everything we asked for and answered all of our questions. In the beginning, I used to feel bad about lying to these people, but not anymore. Now, it was just a part of the job.

"Thank you, Sheriff Macon. We appreciate the information you've given us," I told him, shaking his hand. Alice did the same and then we headed to the basement of the building where the morgue was. It didn't take but a few minutes for the coroner to let us in and we got a look at the three bodies.

"There are these strange puncture marks on all of them. All I can figure is that the killer stabbed them with something and let them bleed out."

The man was more correct than he knew. The killer did stab them, with his or her fangs. It confirmed what we'd already known. There was a vamp in town, and we were going to have to stop it.

We spent the rest of the day asking questions around town and looking out for anyone who seemed a bit suspicious. Vamps had a hard time coming off as human, mainly because their humanity has been lost. They also had red eyes, but during the day they were easy enough to hide with a pair of sunglasses. What we tried to look for was someone wearing sunglasses that walked a bit weird, like they were forcing themselves to walk slowly. There was also the fact that vampires were almost overly attractive.

We got a break later that night while having dinner at the local diner. We overheard a couple of young men talking about a woman who was new in town: a beautiful woman with long dark hair and pale skin. One of the guys described her as so beautiful it hurt his eyes to look at her. Bingo.

"Think she'll be at the Turtle Tap again?" one guy asked his friend.

And, we had a place. Perfect. Later in the evening, we dressed in jeans and t-shirts before heading to the bar. We found a small table in a dark corner and settled in. It could be a long night. We ordered a couple of beers and kept an eye out. About an hour later, the vamp walked in. She was wearing a short, tight red dress and had her long brown hair pulled back.

"Jackpot," I mouthed to Alice. She nodded.

An hour and a half later, the vampire was ashes and my new jeans had blood on them. I was more than a bit pissed. We didn't have a ton of money so new clothes were a rarity, and getting the blood out of these jeans was going to be next to impossible.

"You okay?" I asked Alice as she cradled her wrist.

"Yeah. I don't think it's broken."

Good, 'cause the last thing we needed was a hospital bill. I wiped away a drop of blood dripping from my nose and sighed in disgust. Bitch had smacked me hard in the face. I'm lucky all I got was a broken nose. Last time a vamp hit me in the face, I'd had a broken jaw.

"Let's go," I told Alice, gathering my purse from the ground before we headed back to the car. I grimaced as I got a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror. My nose was swollen and a black eye was starting to form around my left eye. _Fantastic._

I turned the engine on and cranked up Lynyrd Skynyrd. Now that our job here was done, it was time to move on.

* * *

"Hurry up, Alice!" I hollered through the open door to our sunflower inspired motel room. Granted, the name of the place was the Sunflower Motel so it made sense they'd have a sunflower motif. We'd been brought into our latest case in Kansas by an old hunter friend of our father's, Samuel Allison. He would have taken the case himself, but he was laid up with a broken leg and three broken ribs after a nasty encounter with a vamp. He'd called us almost a month ago to let us know about two vamps that'd been ravaging small towns around Kansas. The latest incident had happened in Latham, a small town with a population of roughly one hundred and fifty people. Yeah, they couldn't afford for any more people to die.

We'd tracked the two vampires here, but they were slippery bastards and by the time we'd arrived here in was too little too late. We'd gathered what info we could and I had a fairly good idea of where they were, but we needed to move and we needed to move now.

"Alice!" I hollered again. If Alice took any longer we'd lose them, and then I'd lose my shit. The bathroom door finally opened and out stepped Alice, looking like a very short model on a runway.

"About fucking time," I growled, doing a onceover of the room to make sure nothing was left behind. Satisfied we had everything, I practically shoved Alice out the door and slammed it shut behind me.

"Calm down, Bella. We'll catch up to them," Alice said, her laid-back manner getting on my nerves. She was always so fucking calm and sometimes I wondered if she was human. Rarely did anything ever get to her.

Muttering curses under my breath, we climbed into our dad's 1967 Pontiac GTO. She'd been his baby when he was alive, and he'd doted on her in ways he'd never done with us. He hadn't been a horrible father, but he sure wouldn't have won an award for father of the year. From the time I was four, he'd dragged us from one place to the next. We'd lived out of motels, slept in the car, and had been raised on junk food. It had been awesome at first but eventually it had gotten old. As far as schooling went, well … sometimes we went and sometimes we didn't. We'd never really stayed in one place long enough to go to school or to make friends.

"Besides," Alice continued. "Just because we're hunting doesn't mean we shouldn't look good."

I let out a snort. "Right, because the vamps we're chasing care what we're wearing."

"They're people, too," Alice said, irritation in her voice. This was an argument we'd had countless times over the years. I didn't consider vampires people. To be a person you needed be alive. Vampires were the walking dead in a non-zombie kind of way. They were soulless demons that had no qualms about taking a human life or hurting those who got in the way of what they wanted. And they all wanted one thing: blood.

"I mean, they can't be all bad, right?" Alice asked. "There must be some good vampires out there."

I barked out a harsh laugh at her delusional thinking. As far as I was concerned there was no such thing as a good vampire. Sure there were a couple of them out there who helped hunters out from time to time, but they had their reasons for doing so, and it wasn't because they were good. Besides, Dad had spent years hunting them, and he'd never had anything nice to say about any of them. Maybe one or two had helped him out over the years, but the bloodsucking demons weren't trustworthy. As far as I was concerned, they all needed to be burned, and I was more than willing to the do the job, to pick up where Dad left off.

We'd been tracking these two leeches for a month through three counties. They had left a high body count behind them; we were always a second too late, and it was pissing me off. It was well known amongst hunters that there were vamps out there with special abilities. As if they didn't have enough of an advantage over us. There were vamps that could read your mind, zap you with a touch, and manipulate your emotions. Apparently, the ones we were chasing had the ability to escape. The redheaded demon bitch and her pony-tailed friend were always one step ahead of us. We'd caught sight of them two weeks ago after they'd drained a young woman, but we hadn't been fast enough to catch them.

"Hand me Dad's journal," I demanded of Alice as we drove down the highway. I wanted to know if Dad had ever come across her before and if he had, it would be in his journal.

"Drive. Tell me what you're looking for," Alice said, taking Dad's journal out of the glove compartment.

"See if he references any redheaded vamps that are good at evasion."

I drove fast, tapping my fingers restlessly on the steering wheel as I waited for Alice to search through the book. That book was our vampire-hunting bible. It had been passed down from generation to generation and contained all kinds of valuable information. Besides the GTO, it was the only other thing of Dad's we had, and it was invaluable. All those things that people think they know about vampires are complete bullshit. They don't sleep in coffins –hell, they don't fucking sleep, ever. Garlic, crosses, and holy water don't do shit and the sun won't kill them. As a matter of fact, the sun turns them into giant, walking disco balls. There's only one way for a human to kill a vamp and that is with fire. Any kind of fire will do: campfire, lighter, matches, flamethrower. We had it all, and we were always prepared.

"Well?" I asked, impatiently.

"I'm looking, Bells. Calm down and focus on the road."

Scowling, I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. It irritated the hell out of me how she could be so calm about things. We had to catch these vamps before they murdered any more children. Two days ago, they'd wiped out a playground, murdering five children and leaving behind a devastated community. The rage I felt toward these vamps was unlike any other. Children were innocents and they weren't to be fucked with.

"Bells?"

"What?" I snapped.

"Your phone's ringing."

I snatched the phone off the dashboard where I'd laid it and scanned the incoming number. Demetri. He was the only vamp I'd ever made nice with and only because he'd saved my father's life once. Pulling over to the side of the road, I put the phone on speaker as I answered.

"What do you have for me?" I asked. I'd left him a message earlier in the morning seeing if he knew anything about the two monsters we were hunting.

"The male sounds like a nomad I stumbled across years back. Goes by the name James. He tends to travel with a redhead who goes by Victoria," he said in his Greek accent.

"That's them. Alice, did you find anything?" I asked, turning to her.

She shook her head, closing the book. "Nothing."

"I have an acquaintance who could help you," Demetri said as I turned my gaze back to the road. "He used to work for the Volturi and he's—"

"You're fucking kidding me, right?" I growled. "Are you trying to get us killed? If the Volturi finds out about us, we'll be slaughtered."

Demetri let out a cold laugh. "They are well aware of you and your sister. They have been for quite some time."

I was stunned into silence, but it didn't last long. I swore long and hard at Demetri before demanding to know why he hadn't warned us.

"They've been after your family for generations. I thought for sure Charlie would have warned you."

"Well, he didn't," I barked, although I should have been aware the Volturi knew of us. When someone goes hunting your kind, you make sure to know the names of your enemies. Why I thought they wouldn't find out about us was stupid thinking on my part. Of course, it was one more worry I didn't need.

"So, they're after us because we know about the existence of vampires?" Alice asked.

Demetri let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the phone. "That's part of it, but the main part is because Charlie killed Marcus' wife and Aro's sister, Didyme."

I was shocked and judging from the look on Alice's face, she was as well. Dad had never once mentioned killing a vamp named Didyme. Never mind the fact she was related to the leaders of the vampire world.

"Why would he do that?" Alice asked, fear in her voice.

"Revenge, Alice. Revenge. Marcus murdered your mother, so Charlie retaliated. It was what got him killed in the end."

I frowned, thinking back to that night nineteen years ago when I was four. There wasn't much I didn't remember about Mom's death. I remembered hearing her begging and pleading for her life, loud screams, and then an eerie silence. Dad had come home and found her body on the bed, drained of blood with slits to her wrists and throat. The medical examiner claimed it was suicide despite the lack of blood evidence or sharp instruments near her body. Dad hadn't bought it; he'd refused to believe Mom offed herself and he had become obsessed with finding out what had killed our mother. Turns out, our grandfather had known from the get go. He'd told Dad all about vampires and had then given him a crash course in fighting them.

When I'd gotten older, Dad had told me about them and according to him, the only important thing in this life was to wipe out their existence. Easier said than done. They could create vampires known as newborns at any given time, thus populating the vampire world and endangering even more human lives. It was a never-ending battle, but one I'd sworn to fight.

"Listen, Swan. James is a tracker. He can track down any human following him and you're gonna need all the help you can get," Demetri said, interrupting my thoughts.

"I said no," I tried to argue, but Demetri spoke over me.

"His name is Carlisle Cullen. He and his coven are vegetarian so to speak, and they won't hurt you. You can find them outside of Forks, Washington. Go to him. He can help," Demetri said before hanging up.

Glaring, I shut off my phone and tossed it back on the dash. _How stupid did Demetri think I was?_ I wasn't about to go running into the arms of a Volturi sympathizer.

"What did he mean by vegetarian? How can a vamp be a vegetarian?" Alice asked as I pulled the car back onto the road.

"I don't know. Sounded like bullshit to me."

Alice shrugged then opened up Dad's journal again. With as much as we'd rifled through and read it, you'd think we'd have it memorized, but there was a lot of shit in there.

"Dad doesn't have anything about vegetarians or these Cullens," she said several miles later. I wasn't surprised. If Dad had known anything about these Cullens, he would've mentioned it to me or put it in his book.

"Doesn't matter since we're not going to them. For all we know, Demetri is playing both sides and setting us up to be slaughtered."

Alice let out a sigh as she closed the journals. "You're so pessimistic."

"No, I'm realistic. I'm not about to drive halfway across the fucking country only to be vamp food."

"But if they can help us—"

"No!" I barked before cranking the radio up so I wouldn't have to listen to her. I'd been hunting far longer than she had and I wasn't about to take Demetri's word about some veggie vamps. No, we'd find James and Victoria the old fashioned way. With good detective work, determination, and skill. We didn't need the help of these Cullens.

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**a/n: *fidgets nervously* Well? Did you like it? Hate it? Meh it?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you everyone for taking a chance on this story. Thanks for the reviews and alerts! They are much appreciated. Thanks to PTB for their awesome beta skills.**

* * *

"God-damned, fucking, redheaded, demon bitch!" I roared into the night sky. We'd missed James and Victoria by hours. Just long enough for the bodies they'd left behind to cool. It had taken us well over a month to catch up to them, and once again, they'd slipped away. This time, though, they'd left us a message. Written in blood next to the bodies were the words _late again._ To say I was pissed would have been an understatement. The motherfuckers were toying with us, and I was livid.

"We need some help, Bells. You know it. We're never going to catch them at this rate," Alice said, always the voice of reason.

Kicking the tire of the car, I scowled before nodding in agreement. I fucking hated asking for help, but she was right. We needed it. So with a sigh, I pulled out my phone and scrolled under contacts for J. Jenks. Jenks was an old friend of my father's and a retired hunter, although he would occasionally come out of retirement if needed.

"Jenks," answered a Southern voice through the phone.

"Jensen, it's Bella."

Quickly and quietly, I told him about James and Victoria, about their talent for evading us, and the taunt they'd left for us.

"Dammit, Bella! You should have called me immediately! I've been hunting Victoria for years!"

I was somewhat taken aback by his words. So far, all the other hunters we'd come across had never heard of her or her partner. Figured that the one hunter I knew fairly well was also the one who knew Victoria.

"Tell me about her," I demanded as I slid behind the wheel of the car and settled in. Alice got in the passenger seat and shut the door, turning to face me. Taking my phone away from my ear, I turned it on speaker so we could both hear.

"I don't have a whole lot on her. She was born in England in the 1550s and was turned when she was roughly eighteen. A few years after that, the coven she lived with attracted the attention of the Volturi, and the Volturi slaughtered the coven. Victoria was the only one to escape. She's been on the run ever since, and the bitch is damned good at it."

"What about James?" I asked.

"From what I understand, James began tracking Victoria in London all those years ago and became so intrigued by her that he stopped hunting her, and they eventually became a couple."

"How'd you learn all this?" I asked, curious as to where his information had came from. What he said next, shocked me to my very core.

"Carlisle Cullen."

I narrowed my eyes. That was the second time I'd heard that name, and I wasn't happy about it. There was no way that Jensen was friendly with Carlisle Cullen, the "former" Volturi member. Jensen hated vamps as much as I did.

"I'm sorry. I could've sworn that you said Carlisle Cullen."

"I did," he said, his voice serious.

"But he's Volturi!" I practically shouted.

I heard Jensen let out a sigh. "Former Volturi. He can be trusted."

I wasn't so sure about that. For all I knew, this Cullen guy had some kind of persuasive mind powers and was tricking everyone into believing that he was trustworthy. If Carlisle Cullen was so fucking trustworthy, then why hadn't Dad ever mentioned him in his book?

"Why didn't Dad ever mention him, then?" I demanded.

"I don't know why Charlie didn't tell you about him. He worked with Carlisle many times over the years to help catch some truly nasty vamps."

My mind was whirling with confusion. I didn't understand. Why wouldn't Dad have written about this guy or told me?

"How do I know this vamp can be trusted?" I asked.

"You just can," was Jensen's reply, and I was far from convinced. We talked for a while longer, and he informed us of some of the hideouts that Victoria had used in the past, although chances were good she wouldn't use them again. Thanking Jensen, I hung up the phone, unsure of whether or not to check out these hideouts. If Jensen was under some sort of mind control, he could be leading us into a trap.

"What do you think?" I asked Alice as I started the car up and got back on the road. Not answering me, she pulled an old atlas out of the glove compartment and began flipping through it.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Mapping out a route to Washington."

I slammed on the breaks, causing Alice to have to brace her hands on the dashboard.

"Jesus, Bella!" she hollered at me.

"We're not going to Washington," I snarled. "We'll check out these old haunts of Victoria's, but we aren't going to Washington."

"Yes, we are. We need all the help we can get, and if Jensen says this Cullen guy is trustworthy, then he is," Alice said with a determined look on her face.

"You don't know that, Alice. For all we know, Cullen scrambled Jensen and Demetri's brains. We could be walking straight into a trap!"

We argued back and forth for the next three hours while I drove, until I finally caved. I didn't want to give in, but Alice was relentless, like a dog with a bone, and I couldn't take it anymore.

"Fine! We'll fucking go, but so help me God, if this is a trap, I'll fucking kill you myself," I told her.

She gave me a smug look before going back to the map in front of her and routing out our trip. It was going to take us roughly three days to get from Kansas to Washington, and I wasn't looking forward to it. I still wasn't convinced we weren't walking or, in our case, driving, right into a trap.

* * *

"_Alright, kid. I gotta go, but I'll be back before you know it. Remember the rules," Dad said as he gathered up his bag of gear and headed for the door of our motel room._

_"_ _I know, Dad! Geez!" I said with a scowl, crossing my arms over my chest._

_"_ _Tell me, Bells."_

_I huffed out a sigh before answering him. "Lock the door behind you, don't let anyone in, and watch out for Ali. I got it, Dad. I've done it a billion times before."_

_"When did you become such a smartass?" Dad asked, a grin on his face._

_I rolled my eyes at him before giving him a hug and wishing him luck. I'd never admit, but there were nights I was terrified he wouldn't be coming back, but I had to remain strong for Ali. She didn't really understand what Dad did for a living, and it was better that way. The last thing she needed to know was that monsters were real._

_"Where's Dad?" Ali asked me a few hours later after waking up to use the bathroom._

_"Out on a job," I told her._

_"At night?"_

_"Yeah, at night. Now, go back to bed!" I hollered at her, not wanting to deal with her questions. She gave me a hurt look before climbing into bed and pulling the covers over her head. Immediately, I felt guilty for yelling at her. She was only seven and scared because Dad wasn't there. _

_"Sorry, Ali," I whispered, but she gave no indication that she'd heard me. A little while later, I crawled into bed myself after double-checking that the door was locked and the windows, as well. Not that either of those things would stop a monster from breaking in. _

_I was sound asleep when a noise woke me, and I saw Dad enter the room. He was limping, and the light outside the window allowed me to see that he was covered in blood. _

_"Shh!" he hissed when he saw I was awake. "Don't wake your sister. I don't want her to see me like this."_

_Yet, it was perfectly acceptable for me to see him like that. I'd seen him bruised and bloodied before, and it scared me every time. But as far as Alice went, Dad was doing his best to protect her from what he was and what was out there. He quickly washed up in the bathroom, and by the time he came out, Alice was awake and none the wiser. It always went like that._

* * *

"Bells! Bella!"

"Wha—what?" I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Can you take the wheel for a while?" Alice asked.

"Yeah, sure."

Thirty-one hours, countless bathroom breaks, and more pit stops than I could count, and we finally crossed the Washington state border. We'd stocked up on lighters, matches, lighter fluid, and flash bombs along the way. It had taken quite a bit of effort, but we'd managed. We always did. We were experts at credit card fraud, impersonation, and stealing. I wasn't necessarily proud of that, but they wer tools of the trade, and I just happened to be quite good at them.

"Can we stop at the rest area?" Alice asked as we passed a sign for it. Traveling with her was like traveling with a three yearold. She had the bladder the size of a pea.

"Fine," was my reply as I signaled and got off at the exit for the rest area. Alice jumped out as soon as we were parked, and I paced around the car, stretching my legs a bit. Three days of sleeping in the car had made me a bit cranky, but all of our money had been put to better use than being spent on cheap motel rooms.

"Hello, gorgeous," said a voice behind me, and I slid my hand into my jacket where my knife rested. Turning around, I found a burly-looking man staring down at me, a malicious grin on his face.

"Not interested." was my reply as I met his stare with one of my own.

"Are you sure I can't change your mind, little lady?" he asked, bracing an arm on my car as he leaned toward me.

Taking the knife out of my pocket, I pressed it against his belly.

"Get your fucking hands off my car, or so help me God, I'll fucking gut you," I warned in a low voice. Immediately, he removed his hands and backed off, muttering about crazy bitches. Nobody, and I mean nobody, laid a hand on my baby but me or Alice.

"Making friends?" Alice asked once she got back to the car.

"Always. Let's go," I said, climbing behind the wheel and slamming the door shut. Once we were back on the highway, I cranked up the radio and rolled down the window, allowing the fall breeze to blow in.

"Turn left at the next intersection, and we'll take the back road into town," Alice said, looking up from the map.

"So, how are we doing this?" Alice asked me as we passed a sign welcoming us to Forks.

"Well, there's no point in sneaking in. They'll hear us coming for miles. Might as well just take the direct route: go up the driveway and knock on the fucking door." I told sighed. "But we go in armed, and keep your guard up. I don't care how fucking nice they seem, they are still the enemy. Understood?"

Alice nodded.

Going off the map Alice had printed at a local library, we turned down a long, gravel driveway and drove for a mile or so before a large house came into view. It was a gorgeous house, but it seemed a bit ostentatious. Did these vamps really need a huge house in the woods? Then again, the Volturi lived in a huge-ass castle in Italy. To each their own, I guess.

I slowed down, pulled the GTO in behind a Mercedes, and parked. Getting out, I popped the trunk and grabbed several small bottles of lighter fluid, as well as several lighters and matches. "Always go in armed", Dad had said, and I listened. Better to be safe than sorry. Once we were well armed, we slowly began walking up the cobblestone path that led to the porch. It was too freaking quiet, and I was on edge. I looked over at Alice, and she seemed just as on edge as I was. Giving her a nod, I began to climb up the porch steps, but before I reached the top, the front door opened, and there stood a blonde man who appeared to be about our age.

"May I help you?" he asked with a British accent.

I took a deep breath before I began to speak. "Carlisle Cullen?"

"Yes. You are?"

"Bella Swan," I answered.

A smile crossed his face, and his eyes, which were gold as opposed to the normal vampire red, lit up. "Charlie's daughter?"

I nodded. So, maybe Dad had known this Carlisle, or maybe this guy was a mind reader.

"Please, come in," he said, gesturing for Alice and me to enter the house. I took a tentative step into the foyer of the house and prayed to whatever god was out there that I wasn't leading us into a trap. Alice followed behind me after she'd introduced herself to Carlisle. He seemed pleasant enough, but it could be a ruse.

"I swear to you that no harm will come to you while you're in our home," he assured me as he led us into a sitting room. I nodded that I'd heard his words, but I sure as fuck didn't trust them. I'd heard similar words before, and they'd been lies.

"How is Charlie?" Carlisle asked after inviting us to have a seat. I sat down on the edge of the lavish couch and eyed the room. There were five other vampires standing or sitting around the room, and each one of them was staring at us. I felt like a lamb in a wolf's den.

"Dead. He was killed by Marcus three years ago," I told him, no emotion in my voice. Dad's death had been extremely hard to deal with, but I'd dealt. Hunters didn't tend to lead long lives, and I figured I wouldn't see my thirty-fifth birthday. Of course, that was assuming I lived long enough to see my thirtieth.

Shock crossed Carlisle's face, and I felt it was genuine. He hadn't known that Charlie was dead, and the anguish in his eyes had me rethinking things. So far, we hadn't been threatened, but all that could change in the blink of an eye. I kept my eyes on Carlisle, interested to see how he would react to the fact that Charlie had been killed by one of the Volturi.

"Marcus? Of the Volturi?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper. I nodded.

"But why? The Volturi rarely ever go after humans themselves. They always send someone else to do their dirty work."

I eased back in my seat a bit and took my hands out of my pockets, where they'd been holding on to the lighters.

"From what I was told, Marcus killed my mother nineteen years ago. As a result, Dad killed Marcus' wife."

Carlisle rubbed a hand over his face. "Charlie was a walking dead man. It's a miracle he lived as long as he did."

"Hunters aren't known for having long life spans," I told him with a small smile.

He nodded but still seemed a bit dazed. So far, the rest of the vampires in the room hadn't made a sound or moved a muscle. I always found it extremely eerie that they could be as still as statues. It was more than a bit unnerving.

"I'm so sorry about Charlie. He was a good man, and I was proud to help him out."

"That's sort of why we're here. I was told you might be able to help us," I told him.

"I can certainly try," he said, and that was when angry muttering began. I couldn't hear what was being said, but it was obvious that some members of his coven had an issue with his helping us.

"Family squabble?" Alice whispered beside me. I shrugged. It was no concern of mine as long as Carlisle was willing to help us hunt down Victoria. I'd have loved to go after Marcus, but I wasn't stupid enough to think I could take on the Volturi by myself. Hell, even with all the hunters in the US it still wouldn't be enough to take out the Volturi.

Moments later, a wave of calm seemed to settle over the room. I let out a low growl. One of the leeches was fucking with my emotions, and I didn't appreciate it.

"I don't know which of you is manipulating my emotions, but I suggest you stop," I said in a menacing tone, my hand going for the lighter in my pocket. I wasn't about to sit there and let some vamp fuck with me.

"My apologies, ma'am," said a curly, blonde vampire with a Southern accent. "No disrespect was intended. I was just trying to diffuse the tension between my father and siblings."

"I apologize," Carlisle repeated. "My children and I don't always see eye to eye. Jasper is an empath, and he uses his powers to calm us when it's needed."

I looked around the room and then at Alice. She'd always been curious about the vampires and their strange powers. She found them fascinating, whereas I found them beyond creepy, and I could tell she wanted to learn more about these vamps.

A young man with bronze hair and golden eyes looked at Alice and said, "Yes, we are a talented family. Not all of us have talents, but a few of us do."

Alice's mouth dropped open in shock as she stared at him. "But—how?"

"Ah, my son Edward can read minds."

_Well, that was just fucking great. _So much for keeping things to myself from these vamps. However, the mind reader was staring hard at me as if he were trying to figure out what I was thinking. I was hoping there was some small miracle that would keep him from reading my thoughts. I liked my fucking privacy.

"I'm sorry; please forgive me for not introducing the rest of my family. This is my wife, Esme, and our children, Rose, Emmett, Edward, and Jasper."

Alice and I nodded at them, and I noticed the blonde woman giving me a cold glare. I gladly returned it. Malibu Barbie was one of the children who had an issue with Carlisle helping us.

"So, how can I help you?" Carlisle asked me, causing me to look at him once again.

"Why would you help us hunt your own?" I asked, before answering. I was curious as to why he'd be so willing to help us when obviously some of his family were not.

He gave me a small smile. "We're not like the others. My family and I don't feast on human blood. We choose to drink only from animals. It's why our eyes are golden and not red. We value human life."

So that was what Demetri meant by vegetarian. I nodded at his answer, and I was beginning to see why Jensen trusted him. Assuming, of course, that these were my own emotions and not ones manipulated by an empath.

"So, why are you here?" the one called Rosalie asked before I could respond to Carlisle. Someone was a bit bitchy.

"Believe me, Barbie, I don't want to be here. Hell, if I didn't desperately need information, I wouldn't be here," I told her before dismissing her and facing Carlisle. "Jensen said you might have information on a vampire named James. He runs around with a redheaded bitch named Victoria."

"What do you want with James? He's extremely dangerous," Edward said, speaking in a quiet tone.

"That's exactly why. He and that demon girlfriend of his have been slaughtering anyone they can get their hands on. They murdered five children. It's time for them to pay," I told him.

"What? And you think a little human like yourself can stop him?" the blonde bimbo scoffed.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at her. "Yeah, I do. And you know why? Because I've done it before. You're not as indestructible as you think you are. It's amazing what a little bit of fire can do."

Alice reached over and put a hand on my arm to calm me down, because I was seconds away from torching the bitch. I didn't know what her fucking problem was, but it was going to stop.

"Enough!" Carlisle demanded, and I turned my gaze back to him. "They're here for help, and we will help them."

That shut Barbie up. She scowled and crossed her arms over her chest, but not before shooting me another dirty look. _Whatever, bitch._

"James is a tracker. I'm sure you know what that means?" Alice and I nodded. We knew. "Well, James was born during the American Revolution and was raised to track and trap animals by his father, who was a French trapper. Obviously, he carried this into his vampire life. He enjoys hunting people down, almost has a sadistic fascination with it."

_Well, wasn't that just fucking great? _So, James was toying and fucking with us. I had no doubt he would come after us. After all, we'd been trailing him and Victoria for quite some time now.

"He's evil," Carlisle said with a sigh. "He loves to play with his victims before he kills them."

I blanched, thinking about how those people must have suffered horribly at his hands. Yeah, I was definitely taking the motherfucker down.

"Where would he go?" Alice asked, speaking quietly. She'd been pretty damn quiet since we'd entered the house, and I'd noticed that her eyes kept being drawn back to the one named Jasper. If he was fucking with her emotions, I was going to kill him.

"No idea," Carlisle said. "And if he's with Victoria, they could be anywhere."

"Well, shit," I muttered. "We've been on their trail for months, and now, nothing."

Carlisle looked slightly alarmed. "If you were on their trail, it's only because they wanted you to be. He's toying with you."

"Carlisle, what if he followed them here?" Edward asked, and my head whipped around to stare at him. I'd never even thought about that, although I was fairly confident we hadn't been followed. Granted, vampires could run faster than I could drive, so chances were good I wouldn't have seen them. It wasn't like they made vampire radar devices.

"Oh, that's just great. These two bitches are going to bring their fucking war down on us," Blondie spat out.

"Man, you are just asking me for to fry your ass, aren't you?"

A wave of calm settled in the room, and I threw Jasper a nasty look. "Everyone needs to calm down," he said. "If James and Victoria show up, we'll deal with it."

I shook my head and stood up from the couch. "Don't worry, we're leaving. Thanks for your time, Carlisle. Alice, let's go."

She stood up, casting a longing look at Jasper before following me to the door. I opened it without looking out, and that mistake almost cost me my life. I found myself flung across the room and saw a flash of crazy red hair out of the corner of my eye. Why the hell they hadn't heard her coming was beyond me, or maybe this had been a setup from the beginning? _Fucking hell!_ I should have never let my guard down, and I should have followed my instincts. I knew that coming to see Carlisle was a bad idea.

I scrambled to my feet, my head throbbing and blood trickling from a wound near my scalp. Just what I needed: bleeding in a room full of vamps. Furious, I grabbed the small bottle of lighter fluid in my pocket and got ready. I was going to burn these motherfuckers. Every single one of them was going to die, and I didn't care if it cost me my life in the end.

"So these are the famous Cullens," Victoria said with a sneer. "James has told me all about you."

"What do you want?" Carlisle asked, and I watched him transform from polite to battle-ready in the blink of an eye.

"The girls. Give them to us and we'll leave," James said from behind Victoria.

Carlisle shook his head. "I can't do that."

As soon as he spoke those words, chaos erupted around me. Frantically, I searched for Alice, and I found her on the other side of the room, ducking behind the couch. She was armed with her lighter and bottle of lighter fluid. _Good girl._

Before I could blink, much less act, Edward had tossed James across the room. Perhaps the Cullens weren't working with James and Victoria after all. James jumped to his feet and went after Edward, only to be kicked and punched. Fists were flying in a fury, and it was happening so fucking fast that I couldn't see straight. Fucking vampire speed made it almost impossible for me to see who was whom and what was going on. Slowly, I began making my way toward Alice and away from the fight.

"I don't think so," a voice growled in my ear, and once again, I was airborne. I hit the glass coffee table with such force that glass shattered and went everywhere. Pain radiated throughout my body, and I could hear Alice screaming. The world began to fade to black as the pain got worse and worse. This was so not how I wanted to die. I tried to mumble an apology to Alice, but nothing came out, and the world faded away.

* * *

**A/N: Thoughts? Loved it, hated it? Let me know. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and alerts, folks! They truly make my day. I'm going to try and do my best to update every week (usually on Fridays) from here on out since I'm a bit ahead in my writing. Again, I can't express my thanks for giving this story a shot!**

**...**

"How is she, Carlisle?" a velvet voice asked from somewhere nearby. I heard a sigh, and then I heard Carlisle begin to speak.

"It's pretty bad. She's lost a lot of blood and some of these cuts need stitches. I can do it all here, but I'm going to have to go to the blood bank immediately."

"Go! I'll watch her," the velvet voice urged.

Darkness took over again, and it was nice and quiet, but there was a considerable amount of pain. I'd sort of expected that. I didn't think dying would be a painless process. Not for me anyway.

"Bella, sweetheart? Can you open your eyes for me?" a soft, feminine voice asked some time later. I struggled to do as she asked, but it hurt. Everything hurt.

"C'mon, Bella. You can do it," she urged, and my first thought was that my mom was there. I slowly opened my eyes and found myself staring into the golden eyes of a woman with auburn hair. She wasn't my mother. _Where the hell was I_? Then I remembered: Cullens, James and Victoria, fight.

"Esme?" I croaked out. She nodded before holding a cup of water with a straw to my mouth. I took a sip, wincing at the pain in my throat.

"Thank God, you're awake. You had us a bit worried," Carlisle said, coming into the room and giving me a soft smile.

I looked around me and noticed I was in a large bed, hooked up to an IV and covered in bandages. What the—?

Carlisle noted my look of confusion before he explained he was a doctor and he'd fixed me up. I just stared at him. A vampire doctor? You had to be kidding me. How could he be a doctor? He was a fucking vampire for crying out loud. Did his staff and co-workers not notice? And what about blood? Wouldn't being surrounded by blood day in and day out tempt him?

He gave a small laugh at my incredulous look. "I've been the head of surgery here for several years, but I've been practicing medicine for a very long time. I find it rewarding being able to help people."

"How badly hurt am I?" I asked, my throat raw and sore.

"Pretty bad, but you're healing fairly well. I'm not going to lie to you, Bella. It was touch and go for a while. You lost a lot of blood."

That was a comforting thought when in a house full of vampires.

"What happened?"

"Victoria. She threw you into our glass coffee table at the same time James went for Alice."

"Is she okay?" I asked, realizing she wasn't in the room with me. Anytime I'd gotten hurt when Alice was around, she always stayed with me. The only reason she wouldn't be with me was if something bad had happened to her.

I wasn't reassured when I saw Esme and Carlisle glance at each other. Taking a deep breath, Carlisle turned back to me.

"Alice … Alice was bitten by James," he told me, remorse in his eyes.

"What?" I asked, unable to believe what I'd heard.

"James bit Alice on her wrist. We did what we could to suck the venom out, but it was too late."

_No, no, no! Alice wasn't, she couldn't be. No!_

"But, she's fine, right? I mean, she's not gonna turn or anything. Right?" I asked with a slight touch of hysteria in my voice.

Carlisle sat down on the edge of my bed. "I'm sorry, Bella. We tried to stop the venom from spreading, but we couldn't."

"So, she's?"

Carlisle nodded. "Yes. It takes three days for a vampire to change. You've been out for two."

Fear ran through me at his words, and I remembered something Dad had said. He'd told me to look out for Alice at all costs, but if anything should happen to her, I knew what I had to do. This was what he was talking about. Somehow, he must have known that she'd be bitten. I couldn't allow her to finish turning. I couldn't allow her to become a soulless monster.

"I want to see her," I told him.

He shook his head. "You can't."

"The fuck I can't! She's my sister, and I'll damn well see her if I want!" I shouted as I tried to get out of the bed.

Carlisle put a hand on me, easily restraining me. "No, Bella. It's too dangerous for you to see her right now. If she were to awaken while you were in the room, she'd kill you."

Tears welled up in my eyes. Alice didn't deserve to live life as a monster. It wasn't what she wanted, and it sure as hell wasn't the life I wanted for her. In that moment, I wished for nothing more than to turn back time and refuse to allow Alice to come with me. She should've been at school, studying and hanging out with her friends, not fighting a hopeless battle against a terrifying enemy. She hadn't been cut out for the hunter life.

"This isn't right," I whimpered softly.

"We gave her a choice," a soft, Southern voice said from behind Carlisle. Jasper had entered the room, and his eyes held a hint of sadness.

"What?"

"We asked her what she wanted. We could kill her or let her turn. She chose to be turned," Jasper told me, and I just stared at him. He had to be wrong. There was no way Alice would choose to become a vampire.

"You're lying."

He shook his head. "I'm not. I promise. She agreed to this."

"Wouldn't you rather have your sister live than die?" Carlisle asked from beside.

I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. "She's already dead. Now, she'll become an abomination. She wouldn't want that," I insisted.

Carlisle reached out and took both of my hands in his. "We'll teach her to be a vegetarian. We'll do right by her. I promise you."

Before they left me alone with my thoughts, they told me that James was dead, but Victoria had gotten away. Right then and there I made it my mission in life to hunt down the bitch and end her.

**…...**

The next six months passed in a haze. I'd been informed by Carlisle that the first year was the hardest for newborns, and I wouldn't be able to see Alice for at least that long. I wasn't even sure I wanted to see her. I had stayed long enough to heal, but once I was able to walk, I took off. I could hear Alice in the other room being held back by the others because my blood called to her. It terrified me. So without a backward glance, I'd hopped in my car and left.

Ever since I'd left the Cullen house and Alice behind, I'd become a zombie. I could hear my Dad's voice yelling at me, about how I'd failed the family. He was right. I had. If I had been stronger, more diligent, Alice would never have become a vampire. I'd failed us all in the end so I buried my grief in my work. I'd chased after Victoria, focusing all my anger on her. She'd helped kill Alice, and she would pay. It might kill me in the end, hell it probably would, but I would get my revenge. As for Alice, thinking about her hurt too fucking much. She'd been more than just my sister; she'd become my best friend. It was my fault she was gone.

With a sigh, I turned the car into the parking lot of the motel I was staying at and turned off the engine. Getting out, I grabbed my weapons bag from the back and headed toward my room. My dreams that night were the same as they had been for the past six months. Every night, Alice would come to me in my dreams. Her skin pale as could be and her eyes a bright, crimson red. She would stalk me, taunt me, and in the end she'd drain me. I always woke up gasping for air and checking my neck to make sure there weren't any bites.

Sighing, I gave up on going back to sleep after the last nightmare woke me up. I took a quick shower, ate a candy bar and chugged coffee from the maker in the bathroom. I hated these long nights. They left me edgy and not on my game. Some days, I just wanted to end it all. It would be so easy to just shoot myself, but I couldn't do it. I'd made a promise to catch Victoria, and I intended to keep it.

A little after seven that morning, my phone rang, and I saw it was Jensen. I'd been avoiding him for weeks, but I knew he'd just keep calling.

"Yeah?" I answered with a weary sigh.

"Jesus Fucking Christ, Bella! Why the fuck haven't you been answering your phone? Do you have any idea how worried I've been about you?"

"Sorry, Jensen. I've been busy."

"Doing what? Chasing your own tail? You don't have a fucking clue where Victoria is, do you?"

"No," I said, rubbing a hand over my face. I didn't have a clue where the fucking bitch was, and it was taking its toll on me. I'd driven across the fucking country more than once, only to end up empty handed and frustrated. I'd taken to drinking and smoking, and I was a fucking mess.

"I think you need a break, kid. Some time to recuperate. Come on down to my place for a bit."

Jensen was right. I'd been on the go for months, hitting nothing but dead ends and brick walls. Perhaps, it was time to take a break. Agreeing, I told him I'd see him in a couple of days.

The drive from Colorado to Arkansas was long and tiring, but I pushed through and drove the whole thing straight. The closer I got to Star City where Jensen lived, the more I wanted to see him. I missed seeing a friendly and familiar face. I missed having someone to talk to on these long trips. I just missed Alice.

I almost sobbed with relief when I drove past a sign that read _Jenks' Junkyard._ I drove down the long dirt road past dozens of wrecked and rusted cars, some piled on top of one another, before I came to a stop in front of an old house with paint peeling off of it. There, standing in front with hands shoved in his pockets was Jensen. His dark hair was covered by a baseball cap, and he was wearing an old orange ski vest that had seen better days. Come to think of it, for as long as I'd known him, he'd always been wearing that vest or one similar to it.

"Damn, kid, you're a sight for sore eyes," Jensen said, after I parked my car and got out. I stumbled toward him and before I knew it, had my arms wrapped around him. We weren't super close but at the moment, he was the only person I had in this world, and I was craving human contact.

"It's good to see you, Jensen," I told him as I pulled away.

I followed him inside and made my way to the guest bedroom upstairs to drop my bag off and use the bathroom. When I came back downstairs, Jensen had a beer waiting for me, and I gladly took it from him before plopping down in an old recliner. After a long swig, I sat back with a sigh.

"How are you holding up, kid?"

I peeled the label of my beer as I answered him. "I'm fine."

"Don't lie to me, girl. It's obvious to anyone with eyes that you're not okay."

"Of course I'm not okay! I let my sister get turned into a fucking monster! I didn't fight hard enough for her!" I yelled.

"And just how would you have fought against a room of vampires without any weapons while injured?" he asked.

"Doesn't matter. I should have at least tried," I insisted as I took another swig of beer.

"The Cullens aren't bad people, Bella. Carlisle is a nice and decent guy, and you know they don't drink human blood. They'll do right by her. I swear it."

It didn't change the fact that Alice was still a vampire.

"Have you tried to contact her at all?" Jensen asked after a few minutes of silence. I shook my head. I wasn't sure her phone even worked anymore, and I wasn't sure I wanted to talk to her. She wasn't my sister anymore. She was the enemy. As if he could hear what I was thinking, Jensen began talking about how family was family, no matter what. I eventually tuned him out. He didn't understand. How could he?

**…...**

I spent a week at Jensen's doing my best to relax, and when I got bored doing that, I began researching. I hadn't given up on finding Victoria, but I needed a break from tracking her and there were plenty of other monsters to hunt. There had been several murders in the past few weeks in a small town in Minnesota. All the victims had been drained, and I figured I'd head there and hunt down the vampire or vampires responsible. It would help me get back in the swing of things. I'd hunted alone before Alice, and I would do it again. I just needed to find my way. With a hug and a promise to be careful, I packed up my car and began the long journey to Minnesota.

By the time I checked into the Moose Motel, I was fucking exhausted and I still needed to come up with a game plan. I opened the door to my room and grimaced at the decor. Granted, I should be used to crappy decor considering all the craptastic places I'd stayed. The bed was covered in a puke green flowered bedspread, and the curtains were a bright pink. _Classy_. I dropped my bag into a chair before plopping down on the bed and sprawling out.

Man, I was so tired my eyes burned, but I couldn't sleep just yet. I needed to come up with a plan for tomorrow. Getting up, I dug through my bag and pulled out a handful of ID badges. I flipped through them until I found one that worked. According to the badge, I was Special Agent Marion Crane. I let out a snicker. All of our aliases were women from horror movies, but I doubted anyone would recognize it. They rarely did. Going through my bag, I let out a sigh. I had two decent suits with me so I'd better find out what I could in those two days.

The following morning after a breakfast consisting of a Snickers bar and a Coke, I dressed in my black suit, grabbed my badge and gun, and headed to the police station. I wanted to get a chance to look at those bodies for myself and determine if they truly were vampire victims.

As soon as I got to the station, I introduced myself to the chief of police, and he was pretty damn grateful to see the FBI. Within minutes, I was seated across from his desk holding three folders containing photos of the deceased.

"There was no blood found at any of the scenes?" I asked, flipping through the pages in one of the folders.

"Not a drop. We figure they must be dump sites. I got to tell you, Agent Crane. This one has us baffled. The wounds on the bodies look like animal bites of some sort, but I don't know of any animal that leaves those kinds of marks."

I thanked him for his time before popping over to the morgue. Definitely not one of my favorite parts of the job, but it sure beat seeing them freshly dead. I showed my badge to the coroner who took me into a refrigerated room and pulled open three drawers. Each of them contained a victim.

"Marlene Wilson," I read from a copy of the file in my hand. "Exsanguination?"

"Yup," the older man answered. "All three of them. And you'll see small puncture wounds in the necks of each, as well as what looks like bite marks on their wrists. I don't know what to make of it."

I did, but I couldn't tell him that. I took some pictures with my phone and thanked him for his time. Before I left, I asked if he'd noticed anything or anyone unusual around town.

"Not really, although Bob down at the Starlight Bar said some new people stopped in, and he got a weird vibe from them, but Bob tends to get a weird vibe from just about anyone."

Looked like I'd be hitting up the Starlight Bar. Vampires tended to hang out in bars or nightclubs to find their next victim. They'd lure them away and then kill them without much thought. After leaving the morgue, I hopped in my car and drove until I found the Starlight Bar. It was definitely a dive bar, no doubt about that. The sign said open, so I walked in and gave my eyes a moment to adjust. The minute they did, I headed toward the bar and man behind it.

"Bob?" I asked.

"Maybe."

"I'm Agent Crane with the FBI. Can we talk?" I asked, watching as his eyes grew wide when he saw my badge.

For the next thirty minutes, I listened as Bob told me all about the strange people that came and left his bar. Apparently, Bob found a lot of people to be strange. However, when he said a man and a woman came into the bar the other night and they set his teeth on edge and the hairs on the neck stood up, I immediately perked up. Vampires gave off a sense of unease to humans but were able to use their wiles to lure them to their deaths. Always trust your instincts. It was a valuable lesson to learn because nine out of ten times, your instincts were right.

"What did they look like?" I asked him.

He gave me a general description and said they were wearing sunglasses inside.

"Seemed strange to me. It's plenty dark in here as it is, you know?"

I nodded. "Do you happen to know if they're staying in town or where they went when they left?"

"The guy mentioned something about camping out, but I don't know where he'd be doing that in this weather."

I thanked Bob for his time then headed back to the motel. If the vamps were camping out, chances were good they'd be hanging around the bar once it got dark. As soon as the sun set, I headed back to the bar, dressed in black and armed. I had several bottles of lighter fluid and several lighters and matches. I was going to burn those motherfuckers but I had to be careful. One of the biggest advantages that vamps had was their speed. They'd be on you before you knew it, so you had to be just as quick. _Fuck_, I wished Alice was with me.

I parked my car a few blocks from the bar and quietly began walking toward it. Once I reached the building, I ducked around the back and hid near the dumpsters. Granted, vampires have excellent hearing. They'd be able to hear my heartbeat a mile away. That was okay. I'd play the drunk, accidentally spill the lighter fluid on them, and then torch the fuckers. At least that was my plan. But you know what they say; even the best-laid plans can go awry.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" came a smooth voice from behind me. Instinct told me it was the male vamp I'd been looking for. Leaning against the brick wall and keeping my back to him, I unscrewed the cap of the bottle.

"Leave me alone," I told him, making my voice sound weak. "I don't feel so good."

"Come with me, sugar. I'll make you feel so much better," he crooned near my ear, and I almost gagged.

I turned around and tossed the contents of the bottle on him causing him to blink in surprise.

"Wha—"

"Burn, motherfucker!" I roared as I lit the lighter and tossed it on him. He stood there frozen for a moment before he realized what had happened. He let out an anguished cry, which brought his partner running. _Well, fuck_. I knew there was no way I'd be able to get the other bottle open in time, not that that stopped me from trying.

"I don't think so bitch!" the young woman roared, ripping the bottle from my hand. I still had several lighters in my pocke,t and I managed to pull one out. I could still catch her clothes on fire without an accelerant, although it might take a while. Unfortunately, I didn't have a while.

I was picked up and thrown across the alleyway, hitting a dumpster when I landed. My head was throbbing from where it had hit the metal, and I could smell the blood pouring from the wound I'd gotten. _Fan-fucking-tastic._

"Mmm. You smell so good. Good enough to eat, in fact. I fear that I can't resist taking a taste of you," she said, her dark hair falling forward as she leaned over me. I grappled for the lighter in my pocket but couldn't find it, and I feared I was about to meet my end. Just as I was getting ready to pray to whatever god was out there, the girl was tossed in the air and landed with a thud, knocking some bricks out of the wall.

"Leave her alone," growled a voice that sounded vaguely familiar to me.

"She's mine!" the girl growled back before leaping forward to attack the man that was standing in front of me. They crashed together, loud as thunder, and I watched as he kicked her ass. He tore her apart limb from limb before snatching up the lighter that had fallen from my pocket. Quickly and efficiently, he lit her up and soon she was a pile of ashes.

"We need to go, now!" he snarled at me as I stared at the vampire with bronze hair and golden eyes. "The cops will be here soon."

Refusing the hand that he held out, I struggled to my feet, my hand going to my head. It came away covered in blood. With a sigh of disgust, I wiped it off on my shirt and began limping out of the alley.

"A thank you would be nice," he said, coming up behind me.

"I didn't ask for your help," I replied, refusing to look at him.

"You'd be dead if it weren't for me."

I whirled around to face him. "Maybe I wanted to die. Did you ever think of that?"

He stared at me for a few minutes, and I got the uncomfortable feeling he was staring at the blood dripping down the side of my face.

"Aren't you going to ask how your sister is?" he asked me with disgust in his voice.

"No. She's dead," I told him and turned back around and continued walking toward my car. I popped the trunk and took out an old towel that I kept in there. There was no way in hell I was getting blood on my baby. After cleaning up and bandaging myself, I closed the trunk and found him leaning against the driver's side door.

"Move," I told him, coldly.

"No."

I narrowed my eyes at the ridiculously, good looking, asshole of a vampire. Fine, if he refused to move, I'd make him move. I had one hell of an arsenal in the trunk of my car. I headed back toward the trunk, and in a flash, he was standing right there, his hands on the trunk. Dude was really starting to piss me off.

"Get your fucking hands off my car."

Slowly, he moved his hands but he didn't leave. "Alice is doing well. She's taking to our lifestyle quite quickly."

"Fantastic," I muttered sarcastically because that's what I wanted to hear. That my sister had taken to being a monster so quickly.

"She'd like to talk to you," he told me, and I stared out at the empty street. I didn't want to talk to her. Okay, I did but I wasn't sure I could. Would she blame me for what had happened to her? I don't think I could handle her being mad at me, but how could she not be?

I shook my head. "No. I think it would be best if we didn't speak," I told him, before yanking the car door open and climbing in. The sounds of sirens were drawing close, and I didn't want to be caught at the crime scene, and then I remembered that my bottle and lighter were back there with my fingerprints on them.

"Shit."

"What?" he asked, startling the hell out of me.

"I've got to go back and get my stuff," I told him, getting ready to get out of the car.

"These?" he asked, holding out my stuff. I nodded and took them from him, mumbling a small thanks before I slammed the door shut and took off. By the time I got back to my motel room, I was a fucking mess. It was a combination of everything; almost being killed, to having to see _him_ and having him talk about Alice. I didn't want to talk about Alice.

After locking the door, I threw myself down on the bed and buried my head in the pillow. The tears came and once they began, there was no stopping them. I fucking hated crying. I really did, but I couldn't seem to stop. Eventually though, my tears dried up and I made my ass get up and in the shower. I was in the process of brushing out my hair when there was a knock on the door. I frowned and grabbed the gun I kept for protection before cautiously looking out the peephole.

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me. What do you fucking want, Edwin?" I barked when I saw him standing on the other side of the door.

"To talk and it's Edward. I brought you something to eat as well."

At the mention of food, my stomach let out a large growl and I found myself opening the door. Once he was inside, I slammed the door shut and locked it, watching as he set the fast food bag down on the small table and took a seat. Sighing, I sat down across from him and dug into the bag.

"Are you going to sit there and watch me eat?" I asked as I shoved some fries into my mouth before taking a bite of the burger. There was something about him that unnerved me, and his staring at me while I ate wasn't helping.

He rolled his eyes but adverted his gaze. "Alice misses you. She thinks you're angry with her and that's why you haven't called her."

"Maybe I am."

He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. It was such a human gesture that it took me by surprise.

"No, you're not. You're scared."

I glared at him. "Why don't you stay the fuck out of my head?"

He barked out a harsh laugh. "Believe me, I'd love to know what you're thinking, but you're the one person on this fucking planet that I can't read. Your mind is quiet. It's actually quite relaxing. Sometimes hearing everyone's thoughts drives me insane."

I looked at him, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth, and what I saw gazing back at me, had me believing him. I felt a sense of relief knowing he couldn't hear my thoughts. But, I imagined it had to suck for him being able to hear what everyone was thinking all the fucking time.

"You are scared, aren't you?" he asked me.

I nodded, staring down at the napkin on my lap. I couldn't figure out why I was willing to admit that to him. Maybe it was because he was a stranger.

"Of what?"

"She hates me. I let her be changed. I swore to protect her, Edward! I swore, and I failed!" I yelled at him, before getting up and running to the bathroom. The tears were starting again, and I didn't want him to see me cry. I didn't want him to see me as weak.

"You didn't fail her," his voice said quietly through the door. "She chose to live so she could still be a part of your life. She's still your sister. Still Alice, just slightly enhanced."

I snorted at his words. Slightly enhanced, indeed.

"Please just call her. She wants to hear from you so badly. It would mean the world to her."

I stared at myself in the mirror, at the limp brown hair and red-rimmed brown eyes. There were bags under my eyes, and I felt years older than twenty-three. I missed Alice something fierce, and if I could at least talk to her over the phone, then I should. Family was everything. God, I was a fool.

Slowly, I opened the door and took the phone Edward was holding out to me. I stared at it for several minutes after Edward said he'd leave to give me some privacy. I walked further into the room before sitting down on the edge of the bed as I continued to stare at the phone. With shaky fingers, I unlocked it and stared at Alice's name. I could do this. I needed to do this, if only for closure. I took a deep breath, then another. Finally, I took the plunge and pressed the little green phone icon under Alice's name.

"Bella!" I heard Alice cry on the other end. Her voice sounded different, yet the same. "Oh, Bella!"

I couldn't think of anything to say. Finally, I managed to get her name out. "Alice."

"If I could cry, I'd be a slobbering, sobbing mess," she told me with a small laugh, although her voice sounded a bit choked up.

"Yeah, well I am a slobbering, sobbing mess," I replied, sniffing to hold back the tears. "I'm sorry, Alice. I'm so fucking sorry."

"Don't," she said softly. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I let you die! I promised Dad I'd look out for you, and I did a shitty job."

"I'm not dead, Bells. Okay, well, technically I am, but the Cullens have been wonderful, and they've introduced me to their way of living. Did you know their kids go to school, and they lead fairly normal lives? Once I get my bloodlust under control, and it's safe for me to be around humans, I can do that too. My life isn't over, Bella. It's just had a change of scenery."

"Why did you agree to allow the change to go through?" I asked, wanting to know the answer to the one question that had been bothering me to no end.

"I didn't want to die," she said quietly. "Carlisle told me about how painful the vampire change would be, and he answered all the questions I had. I—" she paused for a moment. "I wanted to live, and now I can."

"But you're a vampire," I said just as softly, my fingers worrying the fraying edge of my shirt.

"I know, but it's not all that bad. Okay, so the unending thirst is a bit annoying, but I've learned to drink animal blood, and it's not that bad. It's better than killing someone. That and I've developed a bit of a gift."

My eyebrows rose. "You've got a talent? It had better be a fucking cool one."

"It is," she said with a bit of a giggle that sounded like the Alice I knew. "I can see the future, well the decided future. I saw you decide to call me."

"That's—that's fucking cool. Well, I guess if you're going to be a leech, at least you got something cool out of it," I said, then winced when I realized I'd called her a leech. I was going to have watch my language around Alice. "Sorry, Alice. No offense meant."

She let out another giggle, one that sounded like tinkling bells, and told me it was okay.

"The Cullens are treating you all right?" I asked because I had to be sure.

"Yes. Very much so. They've become family," she told me, and it saddened me to hear she'd found a new family. But, it was my own fault for abandoning her and not contacting her.

"That's good," I choked out. "Listen, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later. Love you, Ali."

"Love you too, Bells."

I hung up and lay back on the bed, tears falling from my eyes. She had sounded good, happy even, and I couldn't begrudge her that. She sounded like Alice, and that was a huge relief. I was afraid she'd sound different, act different. She was the same old Alice, just one that was going to live a hell of a lot longer than I was. One that was stronger, faster, and drank blood to survive.

"Did you talk to her?" Edward asked, softly from somewhere in the room. I sat up and found him sitting at the table. I hadn't heard him come in.

"Yeah," I answered, wiping the tears away and trying to compose myself. "She sounds good."

"She's amazing," he said with a soft smile. "She's taken to our way of life really well. We'll have to keep her away from humans for a while still, but she's progressing nicely. You should be able to see her in roughly six to eight months."

I nodded, but I wasn't sure I wanted to see her. For now, I'd settle for talking on the phone with her.

**...**

**a/n: As always, I love to hear what you thought of the chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Happy Friday, ya'll! Thanks for reading this story and giving it some love. For those lurkers out there, don't be afraid to leave a review even if it's just a smiley face. Let's see what Bella and Edward are up to. Big thanks to the PTB beta's who whipped this chapter into shape.**

**...**

"So where are you headed next?" Edward asked, scaring the shit out of me and causing my eggs to fall off my fork and into my lap. I shot him a glare as I picked the eggs up off my lap. I was furious that he'd shown up; he was going to ruin my breakfast.

"I thought you left," I said, tossing my napkin with eggs on the table.

He gave me a shrug and ordered a coffee when the waitress came by asking if I needed anything else. I stared at him after the waitress left, and he shot me a wink.

"Gotta keep up appearances."

I rolled my eyes at him and went back to my breakfast, trying my best to forget that he was there.

"Is that any good?" he asked, wrinkling his nose as I took a bite of bacon, and I gave him another glare.

"Yes, it's fantastic. Now, would you leave me alone?"

He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, and I couldn't help but notice the way his arm muscles flexed.

"Oh, c'mon now, Swan. Don't be like that. Are you going to tell me you don't enjoy my company?" he asked.

I scowled at him and barked out a "no" in response to his question. Shoving another piece of bacon into my mouth, I demanded to know why he wouldn't leave me alone.

He gave me a smirk, rocking his chair back on two legs, and I wanted nothing more than to topple his chair and watch him fall on his ass.

"I made a promise to Alice to look out for you."

Well, that was just fucking peachy. Funny how she'd failed to mention that when we'd spoken. Knowing that he wasn't going to go away anytime soon, I decided to ignore him. I finished my breakfast, paid my tab, and headed out the door. The GTO was ready to go, so I hopped in and began driving. I didn't have any particular destination in mind this time. I figured I'd go where the road took me. If I stumbled upon a vampire or two along the way, so be it, as long as the vampire wasn't Edward. There was something about him that bugged the hell out of me, and it wasn't just the fact he was a vampire. He was arrogant and so fucking good looking.

I drove for days, stopping only when it was necessary, and I eventually found myself in South Dakota. Tired of driving, I found myself a nice little motel on the edge of a small town. I couldn't help but smile when I walked into the room and found it covered in that wonderful 1970's decor. Orange and greens clashed together in a nauseating war against the neon blue and the shit brown. This was definitely my kind of place. I set my bags down on the bed and grinned when I noticed the tiny machine next to the bed that you inserted quarters into. Good ol' magic fingers.

Grabbing Alice's laptop out of my bag, I set it up on the table and logged on. I wasn't much for technology and before Alice joined me, I'd done all my research with newspapers and by word of mouth. Once the laptop was up and running and I'd managed to connect to the motel's WiFi, I sent Jensen an email. I'd promised to stay in touch more often, even though email wasn't really my thing. I also had an email from Alice waiting for me. Opening it, I read it quickly. She apologized for not telling me about Edward's promise and asked me to be nice to him. I pecked away at the keyboard, typing back my reply. Using the phone was so much fucking easier than this email shit.

A little after noon, I'd found a couple of reports of mysterious deaths and began mapping out a route. There was still no information on Victoria's whereabouts despite the fact that all of Dad's hunter friends were on the lookout. She had to be somewhere, but America was a big fucking country. Hell, for all I knew, the bitch had left the country and was dining on Argentinians.

The ringing of my phone interrupted my planning, and I picked it up without glancing at the number.

"Yeah?"

"South Dakota? Kind of boring here," came Edward's voice, and I let out a groan. I'd thought for sure I was rid of him. I should have known better.

"Leave me alone, Edward," I growled before hanging up on his ass. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he was following me. Sure, he'd made a promise to look out for me, but I'd been hoping he'd look out for me from afar. Didn't he have anything better to do than harass me?

"You know these flimsy motel locks aren't going to keep anyone out," he said, and I whirled around to see him standing in the doorway with the knob to the door in his hand.

"Seriously? Seriously?" I asked, staring at the crushed doorknob. "Isn't there some other human you can go bother?"

"Maybe I like bothering you."

"Yeah, well I don't like you fucking bothering me. You're interrupting my work and throwing me off my game," I growled, narrowing my eyes when he shot me a grin.

"I figured you could use some help, so I've come to help," he said, plopping his ass down on my bed and stretching out. His shirt rose up a bit, and I got a glimpse of rock hard, pale abs. It irritated me to no end that I found him attractive. That was bordering on necrophilia, and I was so not into that.

"You figured wrong."

"Really?" he asked, not sitting up. "Because I've got word of some children being killed in Alaska. There are two, possibly three vampires in the area. I know there's no way you could take them on by yourself."

"And what? You've come to volunteer your services? Why?" I demanded to know. He didn't say anything, and I got up and walked toward him.

"Answer me, Edward," I ordered, hands on my hips as I stared down at him. "Why would you help me kill other vampires? Doesn't that go against some sort of vampire code?"

He finally sat up, running his fingers through his hair, and my fingers twitched. I wondered if his hair felt as soft as it looked, but I quickly shook those thoughts from my head. Vampires were experts at seduction, and I couldn't allow myself to fall into that trap. It didn't matter if Edward was a "good" vampire. The fact remained that he was still a vampire and could easily kill me.

"The only vampire code is to not allow humans to know about us. Obviously, some of you do, and the Volturi are aware. It'll only be a matter of time before they come after you. As for helping you kill other vamps …" he trailed off with a shrug. "I draw the line at that. Normally, I don't care what other vamps do, but when children are murdered … well, that's a hard line for me. Children are innocent."

"You've never killed a child?" I asked, curious to hear his answer.

"Never," he growled. "Carlisle turned me and raised me to be vegetarian. Granted, I went on a bender for about ten years, but I hunted the filth and scum of the world. I tracked and killed murderers, rapists, and abusers. I considered myself a vigilante."

I couldn't fault him for that. He'd been trying to rid the world of monsters, not unlike what I did, and I was slowly beginning to learn that not all vampires were evil. Carlisle and his family had been kind, and I was slowly coming to the realization that Alice wasn't a monster.

"However," he continued. "I missed Carlisle, and by that time, Esme had joined him. I went back to my vegetarian way of life, and I haven't looked back."

I nodded, thinking about how hard it would be to go against your very nature. To drink the blood of animals instead of what you craved.

"If you know where these vamps are, why don't you just go get rid of them? You don't need my help," I said, getting back to the reason he was there.

"Actually, I do. Even as strong and as fast as I am, I'm not sure I could take on three of them, especially since one of them is talented," he said, looking me in the eye.

I found myself staring into his gaze, and I knew if I wasn't careful, I could find myself easily dazzled by him. I let out a low growl hearing those words. I fucking hated it when they had superpowers. It made my job that much more difficult.

"What ability?"

"From what I've learned, this woman can cause mental visual projections. In other words, she can make you see things that aren't really there or aren't happening," he told me, standing up and heading toward me. Immediately, I moved out of his way and noticed a smirk playing upon his lips. He knew he made me nervous. Sitting down at the table, he began typing away on the laptop, and seconds later a map was pulled up on the screen.

"Well, that's just fucking great. The last thing I want is some vamp fucking around with my mind. I get that enough with you," I told him with a scowl.

"Hey!" he objected. "I don't fuck around with your mind. I can't read it, remember?"

I rolled my eyes and muttered "whatever" in his direction. Ignoring me, he pointed at the map on the screen and told me the woman had last been seen in what looked like the middle of fucking nowhere. Leaning closer and trying not to inhale the wonderful smell that was Edward, I noticed he was pointing to a small dot on the map that read Healy, Alaska. It wasn't too far from Denali National Park. Racking my brain as I stared at the map, I remembered something Jensen had told me.

"Isn't there a small coven that lives near Denali?" I asked.

Edward's head whirled around to look at me, and he seemed a bit shocked. "Yes. The Denalis. They're pseudo cousins of ours. They follow the same lifestyle that we do."

"So why not just have them take care of the random vamps?"

Edward shook his head. "They tend to keep to themselves and don't get involved in matters that don't directly affect them."

"Well, all right then. So, what's the plan, Cullen? Because, I sure as fuck don't feel like becoming vamp food."

We spent the rest of the afternoon and the evening coming up with a plan of attack. All the while, he kept an eye on the local newspapers in Alaska to see if anyone else had died or gone missing. So far, it was quiet.

"I need to stock up on lighter fluid and lighters," I told him just as my stomach let out a loud grumble. "And, I need to get something to eat. I'll be back in a bit."

I left him sitting in my room watching TV, and a small part of me hoped he took off while another part of me hoped he was still there when I got back. After I'd picked up the essentials I'd need and grabbed a bucket of fried chicken, I gave Jensen a call.

"Jenks."

"It's Bella."

"How are you?"

I shrugged even though he couldn't see me. "Okay, I guess. Caught a big one, and I'm heading out to Alaska tomorrow. I just wanted to give you a heads up."

We talked for a while more, and when he asked me how I came about the case, I was honest with him. While Jensen trusted Carlisle, he didn't know Edward and was a bit worried about me traveling alone with him.

"I'll be fine, Jensen. Besides, if he tries anything, I've got enough ammo to light his ass up like a firecracker on the 4th of July. He knows that. Plus, I'm pretty sure Alice would tear his limbs off if he dared to hurt me."

Jensen let out a laugh. "Good point. Currently, Alice is the strongest of them all."

After I hung up with Jensen, I headed back to the motel and found Edward exactly where I'd left him. I wondered what it would be like to not have to move, breath, or sleep. I think it would annoy me greatly. I really, really enjoyed sleeping.

I plopped the bucket of chicken down on the table, grabbed some napkins from the bag and dug in. God, I fucking loved fried chicken. There was something about it that was incredibly comforting. Edward stared at me with a strange look before setting his gaze back on the TV.

"Hey, can you go grab me a can of Coke from the vending machine? There are some quarters on the nightstand."

Without a word, he grabbed the quarters and headed out the door. Minutes later, an ice cold Coke can was in front of me and I cracked it open, taking a long swig. _Oh, yeah._ That was fucking good.

"Want some?" I offered, watching a disgusted look cross his face. Shrugging at his response, I went back to eating and ignoring the faces he was making at me. Once I was done, I sat back with a satisfied sigh.

"Finished?"

"For now. I'll refrigerate the rest and eat it for breakfast before we set out," I told him, getting up and shoving the bucket into the mini-fridge that came with the room.

We'd agreed to get an early start, and it was only as I was about to get ready for bed that I realized Edward was still there.

"Uh, are you staying the night or what?" I asked a bit uncomfortable with the idea of Edward watching me while I was sleeping.

"I'm gonna go hunt. The forest nearby has plenty of deer. I'll be back at five."

I nodded, feeling relieved he wasn't spending the night yet slightly disappointed. As soon as he left, I changed into my pajamas and set the alarm for four. Unfortunately, four came way too fucking early, and I struggled to wake up. After a shower, I chowed down on some cold leftovers followed by a hot cup of coffee while I finished packing my shit. At five on the dot, there was a knock on the door. Why he bothered knocking was beyond me. It wasn't like he hadn't already taken the doorknob off.

"Ready?" he asked, pushing the door open. I gave him a nod and grabbed my stuff, carrying it out to the car and refusing his help. I wasn't some helpless damsel who couldn't carry her own bags. Once my bags were tossed in the trunk, I climbed behind the wheel and wondered whether or not he was going to run there or ride with me. When he slid into the passenger seat, I was filled with mixed emotions. I wanted him there, but at the same time, the thought of driving for days on end with him scared the fucking shit out of me. I found myself way too attracted to him, and I couldn't afford to fall. I needed to keep my head in the game and not get distracted. Distractions could get you killed, and far too many hunters had died because they'd let a pretty face lead them astray.

I turned the key, the engine roared to life, and I pulled out of the parking lot onto the two lane road that would take us to the highway. Looking over at my passenger, I knew it was going to be a long drive.

**…...**

"Why don't you let me drive for a bit?" Edward asked after we'd been on the road for about twelve hours. I was used to long drives, but my eyes were beginning to droop, and we needed to stop for gas anyway.

"Fine, but so help me God, if you fuck up my car, I will burn your ass," I warned as I pulled off the exit and into a gas station. I left Edward to fill up the tank while I used the bathroom and grabbed some snacks. There was something about road trips that always made me hungry. So along with some Little Debbie snack cakes, some beef jerky, and a large soda, I got back in the car. I handed the keys over to Edward, giving him another warning. I wasn't fucking kidding either. If any harm came to my baby, there would be hell to pay.

As I dug into my snack cakes, I watched as the world flew by at an impressive speed. Apparently, Edward liked to drive fast, and a quick glance at the speedometer showed he was pushing eighty-five.

"Don't push her too much," I said, and he gave me a nod to show he heard me. Finishing my snacks, I shoved my garbage into the plastic bag I kept in the car for trash and then closed my eyes for a bit of shuteye. I slept until my bladder woke me up, and I groggily asked Edward to stop at the next exit. A quick glance at the clock on the dash told me it was a little after two in the morning.

"Where are we?"

"Canada. Somewhere near British Columbia."

"How did we get past the checkpoint?" I asked, confused as to how he got us across the border without me having to show a passport.

"As far as the Canadian border patrol knew, I was the only one in the car. I may have tucked you in the back under a blanket. All they asked for was my passport," he explained as we pulled into a gas station. Hopping out, I ran inside and used the bathroom before heading back out to the car. I was still tired, but I offered to take the wheel for a while to give him a break. He raised an eyebrow at me and reminded me he didn't sleep. Like I didn't know that already. Once back on the road, I found myself lulled into sleep again.

"Coffee?" Edward asked from nearby, and I let out a moan at the thought. I had a love-hate relationship with coffee. I hated the way it tasted, but I loved the way it made me feel.

"Gimme," I said, holding out my hands, my eyes still closed.

"Don't you need to see to drink this?" he asked.

I cracked an eye open and was met with a glorious sight of Edward, a sunrise, and a large cup of coffee. For a moment, I almost forgot I was working a case.

"Thanks," I mumbled, sighing as I took a big sip of coffee.

"You're welcome. Once we arrive in Healy, we'll talk to the locals."

Many hours later, we were pulling in front of the small police station, and I grabbed my FBI badge out of my bag. I was a bit surprised to see Edward had one as well. Our talk with the chief of police went rather well, and we learned a bit of information. The bodies of the three murdered children had been found in a small park not far from the center of town. The children's bodies, like that of most vamp killings, had been drained of blood. I'd asked the chief if there had been any unusual characters in the area, and he'd given me a sigh before informing me that the town saw lots of unusual characters.

Because Healy was so close to the national park and one of the closest towns that had shops, there were lots of people coming and going. However, the chief managed to give us a rather vague description of the two women he'd questioned who had been the last ones to see one of the children alive. We were looking for a couple of dark-skinned women with foreign accents who were beyond beautiful. Last time he'd seen them, they'd been preparing to hike into Denali with a group of other hikers.

"Looks like we'll be taking a hike," Edward told me as we left the station.

"You're kidding me, right? Denali is a huge park. They could be anywhere," I told him.

He shook his head and tapped a finger against his temple. "Mind reader, remember? The chief was thinking about the last conversation he'd had with the guide. The group was heading down the main trail about six miles out of town. The women are with a group of seven, led by a local guide by the name of Bobby Eastbay. Apparently, Bobby takes groups down the same trail every year."

I'd totally forgotten about the whole mind reading thing, and that wigged me out. I wasn't being as diligent as I should be, and that could cost me my life.

"Get some rest. We'll hit the trail tomorrow," he told me as I opened the door to the motel room I was staying in. I made him get his own room because I didn't want him sitting around watching me sleep. Flopping down on my bed, I let out a sigh. I wasn't exactly looking forward to hiking in the woods in Alaska. There were fucking bears out there, and bears scared the shit out of me. Funny, I know. Vamps didn't scare me, but bears did.

A little after seven the next morning, Edward banged on my door, telling me to wake up, so we could get going. After a quick shower and a few cups of coffee, I was ready, sort of. I grabbed my backpack, shoving all manners of weapons into it, including my dad's old gun. Taking one last look around the room, I opened the door and found an impatient Edward on the other side.

"Let's go," Edward said, practically dragging me out of the room. With a scowl, I shook his arm off, climbed into my car, and began the drive to the hiking trail. I parked in the lot, grabbed my bag of gear, and let out a groan as I read the sign posted about the trail. The trail was twenty miles round trip. I fucking hated hiking, and I wasn't the most agile person in the world.

"Hop on," Edward said, and I stared at him for a moment.

"What?" I asked.

"Look, if you climb on my back, I can run the trail, and we'll catch up to them in no time."

I stood there staring at him. I knew they were fast and strong, but the idea of him carrying my gear and me was a bit unnerving.

"Come on, Swan. It's no biggie. Let's go."

Maybe it was no biggie to him, but I wasn't big on the idea of riding piggyback on a vampire. Then again, I wasn't really keen on hiking for twenty miles either. With a bit of trepidation, I climbed onto his back, and within seconds we were off. I had to close my eyes at the speed we were running because I began to get dizzy. Finally, we came to a stop, and I slid off his back and landed on shaky legs.

"All right?" he asked me quietly, and I nodded in response. "They're about a mile away. We'll go on foot and act surprised when we stumble upon them. Get your gear ready."

This wasn't my first rodeo, and I told him so. I'd had my gear ready since we'd left. My pockets were filled with everything I'd need to torch a vamp or two, and I had more in my bag. Slowly, we began making our way down the trail, and it took all I had not to bitch. If it had been Alice with me instead, I would've been bitching up a storm, but I didn't want vamp boy to think I was weak.

The closer we got, the faster Edward began to walk, and it got to the point that I almost had to run to catch up with him.

"Slow down," I hissed.

"Something's wrong," he hissed right back, and I realized he was right. We should have been able to hear the sounds of the other group, or at least, Edward should have been able to. Edward's pace picked up, and then, I was full out running trying to catch up.

What we stumbled upon had my breakfast almost coming up. I'd seen a lot of bad things, but nothing had prepared me for this. There were body parts everywhere. An arm lay near a tree, a foot next to a tent.

"Jesus," I said, barely able to get a word out. Edward looked just as sick as I felt. "Did vamps do this?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly.

"Fucking hell. In all my years hunting, I've never seen vamps tear their victims apart. Why would they do this?"

Edward ran a hand over his face. "Thrill of the kill maybe? Either way, we've got to find them and soon."

"They're probably long gone by now. God, this was the work of two. Can you imagine the destruction four or five of them could do?" I asked, shuddering at the thought.

"We need to go. Their scent is still fresh," he told me, slinging me onto his back without asking. I barely had time to wrap my arms around his shoulders before he took off. I felt horrible leaving what was left of those people out in the open, but Edward was right. We had some vamps to kill.

We'd been running for about twenty minutes, off the beaten path and deep into the woods when Edward suddenly stopped. He held a finger up to his lips, and I nodded. Something was out there. I slid off his back and got my small hand held flamethrower out of my pocket. It was a nice little piece that Jensen had rigged up for me. I had it filled and ready and none too soon. In less than a blink of the eye, I was thrown against a tree, and I felt my shoulder pop out of place.

I struggled to my feet and saw Edward on the ground writhing in pain with a female vamp standing over him, her hand on his arm. Without a second thought, I ran toward her, and just as I was about to hit the bitch with the flamethrower, a hand grabbed my arm in a bruising grip. I struggled desperately to get away, but it was no use.

"Stop, Kate! That's Carlisle's boy," a voice with a thick accent said from nearby, and I watched as the blonde vampire who was hurting Edward let go of him.

"Edward, I'm sorry about that," the man with the accent apologized. "We've been tracking some vampires throughout the area and Kate's new to our coven. She didn't realize you were family," he said as he helped Edward off the ground.

"I'd say it's okay, Eleazar, but Jesus that fucking hurt!" Edward said, rubbing a hand over his arm where this Kate had grabbed a hold of him. "Do you think you could let Bella go? She promises not to turn anyone to ash, and I need to take care of her shoulder."

I raised any eyebrow at him. I sure as hell wasn't promising anything. However, the hand holding me let me go, and I moved closer to Edward, cradling my arm. My damn shoulder hurt like a fucking bitch, but I wasn't about to whine about it.

"Don't make promises for me, Edward!" I hissed, knowing full well they could all hear me. "I'm still of a mind to flambé some vamp ass."

"My, my. You are a feisty one, aren't you?" a tall, blonde woman with a Russian accent said. I narrowed my gaze at her, not caring for her condescending attitude.

"Problem with that?" I growled.

She rolled her eyes before turning to look at Edward. There was something about her that gave me the creeps. Slowly, she ran a finger down Edward's cheek before leaning in and placing a kiss on it. Perhaps they were lovers, not that it was any of my business. Or maybe not, I thought as Edward pushed her away.

He walked over to me and told me to take a deep breath. This wasn't the first dislocated shoulder I'd had, and it probably wouldn't be the last. I told him to just do it, and in a matter of seconds he had. I was white from the pain that rolled through me, but I gritted my teeth and sucked it up.

"So, I take it Kate here isn't the one murdering people?" I asked after an uncomfortable and almost unnatural silence had settled over us. There were six of them plus Edward and myself, and I was the only one breathing. Talk about unnerving.

"Of course not!" she said, sounding affronted. Well, what the hell was I supposed to think? She tossed me, hurt Edward, and just happened to be near the murdered victims. It was a logical conclusion.

"There were some children drained in the town next to us, so we've been following up on it," the one called Eleazar said. I wondered if these were the ones Edward called the Denalis, but he'd said they didn't usually get involved in things.

"Looks like we're hunting the same people then," Edward said. I wanted to tell him to shut up. It wasn't these vamps business what we were doing.

"I'm Eleazar," the man told me, coming forward and holding out a hand for me to shake. I eyed him wearily, but I shook his hand anyway.

"Bella."

I was introduced to the rest of the coven, who all knew Edward except the new girl and her boyfriend, a nomad named Garrett. They had just joined the coven less than six months ago. Apparently this coven, who were indeed, the Denalis, lived not too far away and had been friends with Carlisle and the Cullens for years. I suppose I should have been comforted by that, but I wasn't. There was something about the strawberry blonde named Tanya that got on my nerves. Maybe it was because she looked at me like I was scum and not worthy of being in her presence.

"Well, we've got this handled," Tanya said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "So you can go," she told me.

"Oh, yeah. You've handled it real well," I replied crossing my arms over my chest. "So well in fact that those leeches just killed a group of seven mere minutes ago, and yet, you've got nothing."

She let out a growl and was in front of me in a flash. If the bitch thought she could scare me, she was wrong. I'd dealt with worse vamps than her. Besides, I'd picked up my flamethrower earlier, and I wasn't afraid to whip that puppy out and fry her ass, friend of Edward's or not.

"Why don't you let the grownups handle this and go back to playing in the sandbox," she sneered.

I let out a laugh because her intimidation skills sucked. "Why don't you back up a step before I torch your ass?"

I brought the flamethrower out of my pocket and waved it in front of her. All I had to do was squeeze the fucking trigger and Strawberry Barbie would be ashes, and she knew it. She backed away, glaring at me and showing fang the whole time. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"Enough, Tanya!" Edward barked, not that I needed him to defend me. I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself. "We came here to help, but if you've got it under control, we'll go."

"The hell we will," I said. "I'm not going anywhere until those motherfuckers are dead. Maybe you don't care, but I do, and I've got a job to do." With that said, I grabbed my bag and began heading back toward the path, or at least I hoped I was heading in that direction. I heard Edward let out a sigh behind me before gently grabbing my arm.

"Bella, stop. Please. I'll help you find the vamps, but it wouldn't hurt to work with the Denalis and find out what they know."

"Fine, but if the blonde bitch gets up in my face again, I reserve the right to turn her to ashes."

A grin flashed across his face. "Deal."

**...**

**a/n: Well? What did you think? Let me know! I love hearing from you all!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I apologize for not getting this up earlier. I had to work OT today and forgot to take my flashdrive into work with me. Hopefully, I'm forgiven. Big thanks to everyone reading, reviewing (even though I suck at replying), and favoriting (yes, I know that's not a word) this story. Shout out to PTB for being awesome and fixing my chapter. **

**Oh yeah, this chapter comes with a lemon warning. **

* * *

Several hours later, I found myself sitting in a sparsely decorated living room in a house about twenty miles west of where we'd been. I sat on one of the two chairs in the room and listened as the Denalis and Edward discussed locations and possible whereabouts of the vamps we were searching for. I sat quietly eating a granola bar as they talked.

"God, could you chew any louder?" Tanya whined, shooting me a nasty glare.

"Sure," I said and began eating as nosily as possible. I knew it was childish, but she was getting on my last nerve. Tanya shot me another dirty look, and I rolled my eyes at her. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why she disliked me so much but whatever. I wasn't all that fond of her either.

By midnight, I was fucking exhausted and struggling to keep my eyes open. The Denalis and Edward had come up with a plan of sorts, but I'd only be able to hear half of it. They spent most of their time talking super fast and super quiet, leading me to believe they were up to something. I was beginning to think I wasn't really needed, and I wondered if visiting the Denalis had all been a part of Edward's plan. Although, what purpose it served I didn't know.

"Why don't you go to bed?" Edward suggested, seeing me yawning. I wasn't comfortable sleeping in a house full of vampires, particularly when I didn't trust them.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise," he said upon seeing my hesitation. Finally, I nodded and gave in. I was led upstairs by Eleazar's wife, Carmen, and shown to a guest room. I didn't have any clothes to change into so I kicked off my shoes and sat down on the bed. I was fucking exhausted and my body ached, but I was afraid to let my guard down. There was no way Edward would be able to protect me against all of them if they decided to have a Bella snack. Unable to keep my eyes open any longer, I lay out on the bed and was soon fast asleep.

My bladder woke me up a couple of hours later and again, I was more than a bit startled to see Edward sitting in a chair in the room gazing out the window.

"I thought you'd feel safer if I was here," he told me, and I nodded. I did feel a bit better knowing he was looking out for me. Yeah, it unnerved me a bit knowing he was watching me sleep, but in this instance it did make me feel safer.

Coming back from the bathroom and trying not to focus on the fact that he could hear everything I did, I climbed back into the bed. Minutes later, I was out. The next time I woke up, I was alone, but I heard the sound of footsteps outside my door. A glance at my phone showed me it was a little after six. It was way too early to be up. Quickly using the bathroom and washing my face, I headed downstairs where I found a pissed off Edward facing a smug looking Tanya.

"I told you we'd take care of it and, we did," she said, and Edward let out a growl.

"You knew that Bella and I wanted in on this. Last night, you promised you wouldn't do anything without us. I should have known you weren't to be trusted. You've always been good at lying," he said, arms crossed over his chest.

If what I was hearing was right, it sounded like Tanya and the rest of her coven had located the vampires Edward and I had been after and had taken them out. While I was glad to know the vamps were gone, I was more than a bit pissed that the bitch had stolen my case after promising we'd work together.

"So you got them all, huh? Guess you want a thanks or a congratulations?" I asked from behind her. She turned to face me, that smug look still on her face.

"No need. It wasn't like we needed your help," she said with a sneer. "Not much a pathetic little human could do against them."

I raised an eyebrow. "Oh believe me, sister, there's plenty that I can do against you. Why don't you just stand right there while I pull out my lighter and light you up?"

I wasn't fucking kidding either. I was ready to torch her ass, and I didn't care who I pissed off. I had my lighter out and lit before Tanya responded to me.

"Please don't," Carmen's voice said from beside me. "I know we promised not to act without you, but we were out hunting and smelled them nearby and knew we couldn't wait. I was afraid if we waited, we'd find more bodies."

It was a logical explanation, and I would've done the same fucking thing, but that didn't make me any less pissed off.

"Whatever," I muttered. "Well, it's been real nice knowing ya'll. See ya around," I said, heading upstairs to grab my bag. I sure as fuck wasn't staying any longer than necessary. Unfortunately, I needed Edward in order to get back to my car.

"You coming or what?" I asked, looking at him.

He nodded and told me to give him a second. I heaved a sigh and told him fine, watching as he gripped Tanya's arm and dragged her off. Dude was pissed, and she was getting pissed right back. Since I couldn't hear what they were saying and their lips moved too fast for me to lip-read, I had to imagine the conversation. He was probably calling her a selfish bitch, and she was probably whining about how she wanted him. He would tell her no, she would fall to her knees begging for him to come back to her … or not. Her face got incredibly angry, and she morphed from pretty to quite ugly in a matter of seconds. Her hands were gesturing wildly, and then she pointed at me. I waved back. Whatever she said to him, only served to make him angrier, and then he let out a roar. Before I could blink, he had Tanya by the throat and slammed up against the wall. It took Eleazar and Carmen to pull him off. Shooting Tanya a disgusted look, Edward took my arm a bit roughly and practically dragged me out of the house.

"Care to explain what caused you to go all caveman?" I asked moments before he tossed me on his back and began running. He didn't answer me right away, even though I knew he'd heard me.

"Tanya's a first class bitch. She said some things that pissed me off. Maybe I shouldn't have grabbed her by the throat, but she's lucky that's all I did. I was tempted to tear her fucking head off," he eventually said as we slowed down and got closer to the victims' campsite.

"Did you ever tap that?" I asked, curious to know.

He shot me a slightly amused look. "I was young and stupid. I've learned my lesson. She got a bit clingy for a while."

I could see that. "How long is a while?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "A decade or so."

Good Lord, that would've sucked. I couldn't imagine having someone pine after me for a decade and never getting the fucking hint.

"That would be so fucking annoying," I told him as he lowered me to the ground.

"You have no idea."

In the day that we'd been gone, the campsite had been ravaged by wild animals, and there wasn't much left of the victims. With Edward's help, we buried what we could and placed rocks over the grave sites.

"Should we call it in to the ranger's station?" I asked, but Edward shook his head no, saying it might lead to too many questions. As it stood right now, the place looked like it had been attacked by a bear or two, and we'd buried the body parts far enough off the trail that they wouldn't be noticeable. I felt bad that these people weren't getting a proper burial, but it was more than some people got.

An hour and a half later, we were at my car, and I hopped off Edward's back. I had to admit I was a bit jealous about how fast he was. It would totally help me out if I had that kind of speed.

"So where to next, Swan?" he asked, leaning against my car door.

"You go home, and I go find my next case."

"So, that's it, huh? So long, see you later?" he asked.

"Pretty much."

He shook his head, said "see ya," and took off running. He was gone in a matter of seconds as the forest swallowed him up. I was a bit surprised, to be honest. I'd fully expected him to refuse to leave. As I got in my car and headed back into town, I tried not to think about why I felt sad that he'd left. He was no good for me, and it was best to think of him as nothing more than an acquaintance.

"How'd the case go?" Jensen asked later that night over the phone, once I was settled into my motel room.

"It's done and over with," I told him, shrugging even though he couldn't see me. "We ran into some other veggie vamps who decided to steal my case from me and take out the vamps that were doing the killings."

"Well, hey. At least you didn't have to get your hands dirty," Jensen said.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"And Edward?"

"Gone. Once the case was over there was no reason for him to stick around, so I sent him off. Right now, I'm looking for my next case. You got anything for me?"

Jensen and I spent the next few hours talking and discussing possible cases, and it looked like there might be a case in Montana. I'd never actually been to Montana, so I was more than willing to take it. I wasn't, however, looking forward to the drive. That was the only real thing about my job that I hated. But flying was out since I had a massive fear of planes crashing, not to mention it was fucking expensive.

Deciding to head over to the small restaurant I'd seen a couple of days ago, I got one hell of a surprise when I opened my door.

"Montana, huh? It's gorgeous, and they've got large cats for hunting. So when do we leave?"

I knew it! I fucking knew it had been too good to be true. I shoved my way past Edward and climbed into my car, ignoring him completely. I hated that I was so fucking glad to see him. Something was seriously wrong with me. I was not falling for a vampire. It was out of the question.

I pulled into the restaurant parking lot and scowled when I saw Edward leaning against the building, waiting for me. Still ignoring him, I made my way inside and soon found myself seated with Edward across from me. Ignoring him was harder than it seemed. He had this wonderful smell to him, he was so fucking sexy, and I wasn't the only one to notice. Our waitress practically shoved her tits in his face, and it was so fucking obvious and pathetic. Edward didn't seem to mind though. He flirted like there was no tomorrow, and it irritated the hell out of me, but I had a feeling he knew that.

I ate my meal, never once speaking to him. When I was done, I went to pay only to find Edward had beat me to it. I shot him a scowl, headed out the door, and drove back to the motel.

"Go away," I finally told him when I saw him standing outside the door to my room. "Go bug some other human."

"Nah. I like bugging you. Besides, you're nice to look at, and your mind is silent."

"I'm nice to look at? Geez, thanks," I muttered. I was more than nice to look at, and I knew it. Oh, I might not have been _Playboy_ material, but I wasn't plain either.

He let out a snort as he followed me into my room. "Fishing for compliments, Swan? You're fucking hot, and you know it. If I thought I had a snowball's chance in hell at getting it on with you, I'd jump at the chance. But we both know that'll never happen, right?"

It my mind a moment to process what he'd said. _Had he really just told me he'd fuck me if I let him? Would I let him? _I had no doubt the sex would be fucking phenomenal, but I wasn't sure I wanted to go down that route. I didn't want to be another fang bang that he could brag about to his friends. Don't get me wrong. I wasn't a stranger to the one-night stand. I'd had more than my fair share, but fucking a vamp? That was a whole other level, and I still wasn't convinced it wasn't some sort of necrophilia.

"Or … maybe it will," he said, his voice husky and low and right next to my ear. I'd never even heard him move. I felt his cold hands place themselves on my shoulders, and I let out a shiver.

"Tell me, Bella. Would you let me fuck you?" he asked, his voice taking on a husky tone.

Another shiver wracked my frame, and I felt my heart race and my blood rush. I knew he could hear it, and I was positive he could smell how much his words aroused me. The hands on my shoulders gave gentle squeezes before sliding down my sides and grasping my hips. With one move, he'd brought me flush up against his arousal, and I could feel how hard he was against my ass. Jesus, I fucking wanted him. I knew I shouldn't, but I was almost beyond caring.

"I bet you taste as sweet as you smell," he whispered into my ear before running his nose against my neck. Good God, he was turning me on like no one else had. His hips thrust up against me, and I couldn't help but move against him, especially once I felt his cold tongue lick the side of my throat.

"Hmm...you do taste good," he murmured before his hands slowly trailed upward and each one cupped a breast. His hands were gentle as they squeezed me and as his fingers plucked at my hardened peaks. My mind was telling me to put a stop to this, but my body was begging for me to let him continue.

"You're going to let me fuck you, aren't you?" he asked as he placed a kiss behind my ear and then more kisses along my neck. There was no going back. I had to have him. I nodded in response to his question, and he let out an incredibly sexy growl that had me clenching my thighs.

In one swift motion, he turned me around and lifted me up, causing me to wrap my legs around his waist. He slowly walked across the room toward the bed, and each step made his cock press up against me. It was a sweet, agonizing torture. Finally, we reached the bed, and Edward gently set me down on it before tugging my shirt over my head. I was glad I'd worn my one decent bra.

"God, you're perfect," he moaned, as he leaned down and placed kisses on the tops of my breasts. My fingers delved into his hair to hold him in place, and it was my turn to moan as he began to suck a nipple through the cloth.

"As pretty as this is, it needs to fucking go," he said, ripping my bra off and leaving me gasping. I was about to berate him for ruining a good bra but was quickly distracted as his cold mouth descended upon me.

I didn't even try to hold back the moan in my throat as he licked, sucked, and nipped at my breast. I'd never felt anything quite like it. Cold on hot and he was leaving me a quaking, wet mess. While his lips paid homage to my breasts, his hands began to wander over my body, and within seconds my jeans were tossed somewhere across the room. Cold hands ran up and down my legs before stopping, each hand gripping a thigh.

"I have to taste that pussy and see if it's as sweet as the rest of you."

All I could do was nod and watch as his lips headed down my body, across my belly, and to my underwear. Spreading my thighs, he leaned down and planted a gentle kiss against my cloth-covered clit. That one kiss was almost enough to cause me to come undone. Swiftly, he removed my underwear, and I was left bare before him. I was extremely glad I'd shaved the day before.

"You smell so fucking good," he groaned before pulling my lower lips apart and delving in. I shot up from the bed the minute his cold tongue came in contact with my clit, but before long I was moaning and writhing on the bed. The man was a fucking god at going down, and it didn't take me long before I was screaming out his name. Giving once last flick to my clit, he sat up, wiping his mouth with his fingers.

"God, you're fucking sweet," he said before leaning over me and kissing me. I could taste myself on his lips, and it turned me on. Reaching down, I cupped him through his jeans before tugging at his zipper. He got the hint and within seconds, Edward was as naked as I was. He sprawled out on the bed, and I took my time looking him over. He was perfection frozen in time. His body was firm and toned and his cock stood proud. While he wasn't porn star huge, he was nicely endowed, and I couldn't resist running a finger across the tip and swiping up some of the pre-cum. Making sure he was watching me, I sucked my finger and let out a moan at his taste. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who tasted good.

Scooting down the bed a bit, I crawled between his thighs and grasped him firmly. His cock was as cold as the rest of him, and I couldn't wait to feel him inside me. But first things first. I needed a bit more of a taste. With that thought in mind, I leaned down and licked him from head to base and smiled when he let out a groan. Soon, I had as much of him as I could fit in my mouth while my hands twisted and gripped the rest of him. Sucking hard and bobbing my head, I felt triumphant as he let out a loud groan, and I saw his fists clench the sheets. Before long, Edward's hands tangled themselves in my hair and he was lifting me off of him.

"Come here," he said, pulling me up until I was straddling him. With one hand, he guided himself into me and I slowly sank down upon him.

"Fuck!" I moaned, feeling his cold, hard length inside me for the first time. He felt amazing, and I never wanted it to stop. My eyes closed and my breath came out in gasps as I rode him hard. God, I wanted more. Bouncing up and down on his cock, I rode him fast and hard until I hit my climax, screaming his name once more, but he wasn't about to let me rest. Flipping us over, he pounded into me over and over and over, his thumb rubbing my clit and wringing one more orgasm from me. I was done after that. I could barely breathe, and I almost lost my breath entirely when he came. His eyes closed, his breathing picked up, his head tossed back, and his hands clenched my hips hard enough to leave bruises. It was so worth it.

"Now that was a good fuck," he said with a sigh and a grin as he flopped down beside me. I rolled my eyes at his elegant way with words.

"It wasn't bad," I commented just to see what he'd do.

"Not bad! Are you fucking kidding me? Please. I'm the best you've ever had, and you know it," he said with a cocky look on his face. Truth was, he was right. He was the best I'd ever had, but he didn't need to know that. Bastard was cocky enough as it was.

After a few minutes of lying there, I got up and went into the bathroom to clean up. That was the one bad thing about being a chick and not using a condom. Things got messy. Once I was done, I headed back into the room and found Edward still sprawled out on the bed naked. God, he was a good looking bastard.

"Ready for round two?" he asked, and I stared at him. He couldn't be serious, but a quick glance to his lap showed he was. What the hell. It wasn't like I had anything or anyone better to do.

* * *

"I never thought I'd see the day when Isabella Swan willingly slept with a vampire," Alice said over the phone the second I'd answered.

"What? What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to play it off like I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Psychic!" she sang, and I winced at her words. I'd totally forgotten she'd gained the talent that allowed her to see decisions already made.

"That's just wrong, Ali! Talk about being a perv."

"Do you think I wanted to see that?" she asked, her voice slightly horrified. "Believe me, Bells that was not high on my list of things I wanted to see. You're my sister, and I think of Edward as my brother. That was just all kinds of wrong."

"Anyway, how are things with you and Jasper?" I asked, changing the subject. The last time we'd talked, Alice had told me she was in love with Jasper, and she knew they'd hook up but it might take time.

"Wonderful," she said with a dreamy sigh. Apparently, I wasn't the only one having vampire sex. Granted, Alice was a vampire and was with a vampire so the only sex she'd be having would be vampire sex.

"That's good," I said, not wanting to hear the details. Alice had always been the queen of overshare when it came to talking about sex, and there were some things I didn't want to know about my sister.

"So where are you going next?" she asked.

"You tell me," I said with a grin as I caught sight of Edward wrapped in only a towel. He'd decided to take a shower while I was on the phone with Alice.

"It doesn't work like that which you would know if you weren't so busy ogling Edward," she said with a slight huff.

"Not my fault," I said. She gave another sigh, and told me she'd talk to me later when I was less distracted. I hung up the phone and caught Edward's eye in the mirror. He flashed me a naughty grin, and before I could blink I was on my back, clothes tossed on the floor and Edward was ravaging my mouth and then my body.

I was going to be deliciously sore for hours if not days, yet I couldn't find it in myself to complain. I'd never had sex that good before, and I knew anyone after Edward would pale in comparison.

The ringing of Edward's phone interrupted our post-coital cuddle, and I admired his back as he sat up to get his phone.

"Yeah?"

Whatever was said on the other end had Edward on high alert. I noticed the change in him immediately.

"Where?" he asked, running his hands through his hair. "Yeah, I'll meet you there. Give me about an hour. Yeah, see ya soon."

Standing up, Edward began putting his clothes on, and I sat there a bit confused.

"I gotta go. I'll be back in a bit," he said, stopping long enough to place a kiss on my lips.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, concerned.

"I'm not sure. I'll know more after I talk to Demetri."

Now, there was a name I hadn't heard in a while. Demetri and I hadn't talked since before I'd met the Cullens. I watched as Edward walked out the door, closing it softly, and I wondered if he'd actually come back. I spent about twenty minutes in bed brooding before getting up and taking a shower. Showered and cleaned, I headed back into the room, got dressed, and went out to grab a bite to eat. Hopefully, Edward would be there when I got back.

Deciding to kill some time, I hit up the closest fast food restaurant and sat down for my meal. There was something wonderfully yummy about a bacon cheeseburger and a chocolate shake. Thirty minutes later, I was heading back to the motel, and I couldn't hide my disappointment that Edward wasn't there. I settled in to watch some horrible, yet intriguing SyFy channel movie and quickly became super immersed in it. The movie has just cut to a commercial when there was a knock on the door and then it burst open.

Edward sauntered inside and tossed a folder onto the small table next to the wall. I stared at him for a moment before getting up from the bed and heading toward the table. Slowly, I reached for the folder and opened it. Inside were tons of newspaper clippings about missing people in Seattle and strange murders that had left the Seattle P.D. baffled.

"Demitri's been keeping his ear to the ground, and he's found some disturbing things. He's got a friend in Seattle who believes Victoria's there and he think she's creating newborns," he told me, taking a seat across from me. My head snapped up at his words. If she was creating newborns, we had a major problem on our hands.

"Why would she do that?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Because she can? I don't know, but it has not only Demetri concerned but Carlisle as well. If she's not careful, Victoria is going to bring the Volturi down on all of us. They won't hesitate to kill us if they think we're a part of this."

Frowning, I flipped through article after article: seven missing girls, four missing boys, and eight unsolved murders. Jesus, the bitch had been busy. Scowling, I slammed the folder shut and looked to Edward.

"Let's go stop her."

"And how do you propose we do that? We don't know if she's still in Seattle or how many newborns she has with her. The paper is only reporting missing people who have families. She could be changing all the hookers and homeless in Seattle and we wouldn't know it until we stumbled upon them."

I shrugged my shoulders as I stood up. "Well," I said, looking at him. "I've got a GED and a give 'em hell attitude. I'll figure it out."

Edward let out a snort. "Well, all right then. Let's get moving."

* * *

**a/n: Hmmmm...who wouldn't want some Edward lovin'? Leave me a review. I'd love to know what you thought.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Happy Friday, gang! Thank you all so much for your reviews. I love hearing what you have to stay. Big thanks to PTB for all the help on this!**

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"You've got a GED, huh?" Edward asked as we began our drive down to Washington.

"Is that a problem?" I asked, casting a glance at him and reflecting on what Alice had told me about the Cullen "kids" going to school. I was willing to bet Edward had more than one diploma and probably a few Bachelor's degrees as well.

"Nope, I just assumed school wasn't your thing."

I let out a snort. He had no idea how right he was. "I hated going to school mainly because we never stayed anywhere long enough for me to make friends. Well, that and I was crap at it. Alice, on the other hand, thrived no matter what school we were in. She made friends so easily, but then she'd have a hard time letting them go."

"Why did you move so much?"

I shot a glance his way and found him staring at me. He seemed genuinely interested. I rarely talked about my childhood with anyone except Alice because very few people would be able to relate. That and a majority of people didn't know that vampires existed. I would just lie and tell people my dad was a construction worker when asked what he did for a living and why we moved around so much.

"As I'm sure you recall, my mother was murdered by the Volturi. Dad changed after that. His father and grandfather had been hunters, but they'd both tried to keep Dad out of the life. After Mom died, Dad demanded answers and began hunting. Sometimes, Alice and I would stay with relatives or friends of Dad's, but most of the time, we went with him. We lived in cheap motels, mainly ate take out, and attended school occasionally."

Edward reached over and gave my thigh a gentle squeeze. "Sounds rough."

"Yeah, it was at times, but it was my life. I got used to it. Hell, it got to the point that I'd grow antsy if we stayed in one place too long. Alice hated it. She hated the constant moving and starting over. So when she graduated from high school, she applied to college, despite Dad's protests. He wanted her to join the family business, but Alice—she wasn't made for hunting vamps," I told him. "She and Dad had a huge fight, and she walked out. She went to college, and I took up hunting with and without Dad. At nineteen, Dad gave me my first solo hunt. It was easy enough and proved to him I could do the job."

"You sound almost bitter," he commented quietly.

"Maybe I am. Maybe I'm tired of hunting all the time, but what else am I going to do? Work at a fast food joint? I don't have a college degree, I've got no real skills, and hunting is the only thing I know. So, it's what I do. Maybe I'll take a break after we get Victoria."

"And what will you do on this break?"

"Drink? Hell, I don't know," I said with a weary sigh. "The last break I took was after Alice's change, and I spent a week at Jensen's place, drinking and trying to be normal. By the way, I don't do normal really well."

"Normal's boring," Edward said with a grin. He might be right.

"Tell me about yourself, Edward," I said later after we switched places. My eyes had grown tired of driving, and Edward had offered to take over. It was only as we began driving that I realized I knew very little about the man I was sleeping with.

"I was born Edward Anthony Masen, Jr. on June 20, 1901," he began.

"Holy fucking shit! You're old!" I exclaimed, totally interrupting him. I wasn't quite sure what to make of that. Not only had I been sleeping with a sort-of dead guy, but an old one. I shuddered and tried not to think of it that way.

"Thanks," he said dryly. "Anyway, when I was seventeen, the city was being ravaged by the Spanish Influenza, and my whole family caught it. My father died first and then my mother, but before she died, she begged Carlisle to save me. He was working as a doctor in Chicago at the time, and he promised her he'd do what he could to save me."

"He changed you," I commented.

Edward nodded his head. "Yes, he did. Carlisle and I became quite close, and I think of him more as a father than I ever did my real father. Edward Masen, Sr. and I weren't exactly close."

"So, you don't regret Carlisle changing you or despise him for turning you?" I asked.

"No. The only one who really had a problem with being changed was Rose, but she's got her reasons, and that's her story to tell."

Fair enough.

* * *

"Take a left at the next light. The house is the last one on the right," Edward told me as I signaled at the light. I'd asked to drive, going stir crazy from just sitting in the car for hours on end. I did as he said, and soon, I was pulling onto a driveway with a gate. I punched in the code Edward gave me and watched as the gate opened. A large house came into view a few minutes later, and I let out a gasp. Much like their house in Forks, it was gorgeous.

"The rest of the family should be here later," Edward told me as I parked the car in front of the house and climbed out.

"Everyone?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yep. Alice will be here as well."

"But I thought it wasn't safe for her to see me just yet," I said as I followed him to the front door.

"That was mainly as a precaution, but I think Alice will be just fine around you. Although, I myself find it hard to resist you," he said, leaning down and nuzzling my neck. I pushed him away despite the fact I wanted to pull him close and let him have his way with me. He was an addiction, and I knew I was going to have one hell of a time quitting him. It was like he was my own personal brand of heroine.

Less than two hours later, I heard several cars pull up outside the house, and chaos soon rained down upon Edward and me. Emmett was the first one through the door, and almost immediately, he wrapped me up in a hug and swung me around. I was more than a little uncomfortable. I wasn't an overly emotional or affectionate person, and being hugged and swung around by a walking wall of meat wasn't my thing.

"Put her down, Emmett, before you break her," Esme said, and I was put back on my feet almost immediately. I swayed for a moment, and Edward reached out a hand to steady me. Seconds later, I was tackled by a small, dark-haired force of nature and wrapped up in a bone-crushing hug.

"I've missed you so much!" Alice cried in my ear as she hugged me a bit too hard, causing me to let out a grunt. I hugged her back, noticing her cold, hard skin, but doing my best not to let it upset or bother me. She was whole, and she was happy. As she pulled away, her eyes were more gold than red, and she had a huge smile on her face. I had to admit being a vampire seemed to suit her.

I was then hugged by Esme, shook hands with Carlisle and Jasper, and exchanged frosty glares with Rosalie. I noticed her looking between Edward and me, giving us both dirty looks. Guess she'd figured out we were fucking. Hell, judging by the smiles Esme and Carlisle kept giving Edward and the fist pound Emmett gave him, they'd all figured it out. That was just great. I really didn't want the whole world to know who I was fucking.

"Are you hungry, Bella?" Esme asked after we'd all settled in. "I can make you something to eat. I've been watching a lot of the Food Network."

"Oh, I'm fine for right now. Thank you," I told her, not wanting to offend her, but I really didn't want to eat something cooked by someone who hadn't cooked in God knew how many years.

"So, why are we all here?" Rosalie bitched, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You know why, Rosalie," Carlisle said. "Victoria is creating a newborn army, and I believe she's going to come after us."

"Why?" I asked.

"We are the ones who killed her mate. She wants revenge against us as well as you, Bella. Demetri's got a man on the inside who's privy to Victoria's plans since she's managed to block Alice's gift," he began, and I was a bit shocked. I didn't think there was a way to block Alice from seeing your decisions.

I nodded. "Okay, I get that, but I didn't kill her mate. So, why come after me?"

"Because you started it, bitch. You thought you could be all tough trying to hunt down James and Victoria, and then you led them directly to our doorstep. So, now, she's coming after us, and it's all your fault!" Rosalie shouted. "As far as I'm concerned, she can have you. Hell, I'll hand deliver you myself."

"The fuck you will," Edward roared before I could speak. He flew across the room and got up in Rosalie's face, and for a moment, I almost feared for her safety.

"Don't even think about fucking with her, Rosalie," he snarled, his hands clenched at his sides.

"Now, why would I do that when it's obvious to everyone you're the one fucking her. Why don't you think with your brain and not your dick? The bitch is gonna get us all killed."

Edward's hand reached out and grabbed Rosalie's throat before anyone could react. He was growling, his eyes had gone dark, and his face was murderous. He was speaking low and fast, and whatever he was saying was enough to scare Rosalie.

"Let my wife go, Ed," Emmett said from behind him. "Please."

Edward nodded and let Rosalie go, but he never took his eyes off her. He was more furious than I'd ever seen him, and I wondered what it meant that he'd come to my defense so quickly.

"Everyone needs to calm down now!" Carlisle said in an authoritative voice. "Sit down, and we'll talk things out."

There were a few minutes of hostile silence as we all arranged ourselves on the furniture in the living room. Alice sat next to me with Jasper beside her, his arm around her shoulders. A wave of calm washed threw the room, and I saw Carlisle nod thanks to Jasper. Normally, I'd be against Jasper using his funky gift, but I think we all needed it at that point.

"Demetri's inside man is a guy named Felix. He's been keeping an eye on things and is reporting back to Demetri when he can. It seems Victoria is turning young, homeless kids and then letting them feed whenever and whereever. I'd like to save as many of these newborns as possible, but I realize that might not be feasible."

"How are we going to draw them out?" I asked, and I saw Jasper give me a calculating look. "You could use me as bait. That would definitely draw Victoria out since it's me she's after."

"Absolutely not," Edward said, crossing his arms over his chest with a defiant look on his face.

"It could work," Jasper pointed out, and I honestly didn't mind setting myself up as bait if it allowed us to get Victoria.

"He's right, Edward. It's not like I haven't been bait before."

"No!" he roared before stomping out of the room. I was completely confused by his actions. I looked to Alice and the others for some sort of explanation, and Esme gave me a small smile.

"Take a walk with me, Bella," she said, and I followed her out the door and into the backyard. There was a small path leading to the shoreline, and Esme began to talk as we walked down it.

"Edward cares for you a great deal, and the idea of offering yourself up as bait to Victoria doesn't sit well with him. He's never been as smitten with a girl as he is with you," she told me in a quiet voice.

I had to admit I was a bit flabbergasted. Sure, Edward was hot and fantastic in bed, but I certainly wasn't thinking in terms of a relationship. I hadn't thought he was either. I mean, how would that even work? He'd what? Hang out and watch me get old? That was a bit too creepy for me.

"I—" I stopped to gather my thoughts. "I like and care for Edward as well, but I don't ever get serious with anyone. It never ends well."

Esme stopped and turned to look at me. "Don't hurt him, Bella. He's been through so much, and he's been so alone. He's my first-born, so to speak, and he means the world to me. If you can't commit to him, then let him go."

With those words, she headed back up the path and toward the house. I stayed where I was, thinking over what she'd said. Yes, I was super attracted to Edward, but like I'd told Esme, I didn't do serious. In my line of work, it didn't pay to get close to anyone. Those people could be used as a weapon against you. Even working with family was risky.

"You okay?" Alice asked, startling the hell out of me.

"Huh? Yeah, just thinking about something Esme said."

Alice leaned against a tree and looked at me, waiting for me to speak, so I told her about my conversation with Esme.

"Oh, Bella. It's obvious to me that you're in love with him, but you're scared out of your fucking mind," she said, and my jaw dropped. I wasn't in love with Edward. I barely knew him.

"You're wrong," I told her, shaking my head.

"It's okay to fall in love, Bella. What are you so afraid of?" she asked me.

"I'm not in love with him!" I told her once more with a scowl. She continued to stare at me, and I felt myself beginning to crumple. Alice was the one person who could always get the truth out of me.

"Maybe I am. I don't know, but it doesn't matter because whatever we have right now is all we're going to have."

"You are so stubborn," she said, stomping her foot. "You know, you can allow yourself to be happy."

"Be reasonable, Alice. How would a long-term relationship between Edward and me work out? Huh? I'm going to age. He's not."

"It'll work out. Trust me," she said with a small smile. "I know these things." With that, she headed back toward the house, leaving me scowling as she walked away. No matter what she said, there was no way it could work. With a sigh, I began walking back toward the house, only to run into Edward halfway down the trail.

"Sorry," I mumbled as I almost ran him over.

"It's fine," he said a bit curtly.

There was an awkward silence between the two of us for a moment. Finally, I spoke.

"Look, I'm sorry if I upset you earlier. That wasn't my intention."

"Whatever," he said. "It's fine. You're going do what you want, regardless, of what I think."

I stared at him for a minute before nodding. He was right. I was going to do what I wanted and what I needed to in order to catch Victoria. If that meant upsetting him, too fucking bad.

"Don't you want to catch Victoria?" I asked, staring up at him.

"Not if it means losing you," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking away from me.

"Well, I certainly don't want to die, that's for damn sure, but it's something I've come to terms with. Hunters lead short lives for the most part. Very few reach their sixties."

"Yeah, well, offering yourself up as bait is a damn sure way of guaranteeing that you die early. Did you ever stop once to think about how Alice would feel if you died? How I would feel?" he asked, his face fierce.

"Not really," I replied in a small voice because, in all honesty, I hadn't given much thought as to how Alice would feel if I died, and I guess that made me a coldhearted bitch. When Dad had died, I'd been upset but not all that surprised. I'd been expecting his death for years. It came with the territory.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose as he looked at me. "Are you fucking kidding me? You're a real piece of work, Swan."

"Excuse me? Who the fuck are you to judge me?" I spat.

"Un-fucking-believable," he muttered before walking away. His holier than thou attitude was pissing me off. I didn't judge him when he told me about leaving Carlisle and rebelling, so who was he to judge me?

I stayed outside for hours until the sky went dark, and the temperature dropped enough to make my teeth chatter. I wasn't ready to head inside and face Edward or Alice, or the demon bitch, Rosalie. I had no doubt she'd have something nasty to say. As I walked back and forth along the path, I considered getting in my car and leaving. Maybe I'd hit up Seattle on my own and see what I couldn't find out. I nodded as I made my decision. Perhaps I could hook up with Demetri's inside man and see what came of it.

"Don't you dare think about leaving," a voice growled from in front of me, and I jumped, completely startled.

"Why not?" I asked, not at all happy to see Edward standing in front of me, and I could only assume that Alice had told him of my decision.

"Are you trying to get yourself killed? Because I can do that for you if that's what you so desperately want."

I rubbed my fingers against my temple. The man was giving me a fucking headache. "Just leave me alone, Edward. I get it. You don't want me to be bait, and I'm willing to do whatever it fucking takes to catch Victoria. We're just going to have to agree to disagree."

"Do you know why I don't want you offering yourself up as bait? It's because I care about you, Bella. I didn't want to, but I do. Do you have any idea how fragile you are? I could easily kill you with one hand. If Victoria gets a hold of you, she won't hesitate to rip you apart, limb from limb. I can't have anything happen to you."

I stared at him for a moment before finally nodding. Hearing him admit he cared about me sent tingles through me and simultaneously scared the living shit out of me. I didn't want him to care about me, and I sure as hell didn't want to care about him, but it was too fucking late. I was in way over my head.

"Fine," I told him with a sigh, giving in. "I won't be bait, but I want to fucking help. Don't you dare try and leave me out of this because I'm 'fragile'," I said, poking him in the chest.

"Thank you," he said with a sigh, pulling me into him and cradling me close. I closed my eyes and inhaled the wonderfully addictive scent that was all Edward. We stayed like that for a few minutes before pulling apart. Grasping my hand in his, we slowly walked back to the house. I had to admit I was a bit relieved to see the living room empty.

"Alice and Jasper are upstairs. The others left to go hunting," he explained.

"Oh," I said just as my stomach let out a rumble. I was starving after having not eaten all day.

"Come on," Edward said. "There's food in the kitchen. Esme had it stocked once she realized I was bringing you with me."

I followed Edward into the kitchen, opened the fridge, and quickly made myself a sandwich. I'd almost gotten used to Edward watching me eat.

"Have you cooled down now?" Alice asked, stepping into the kitchen with Jasper behind her.

"A bit," I told her, taking a bite of my sandwich.

"Good. No more foolish decisions. I see and know all," she said, tapping her temple and reminding me that whatever decisions I made, she would see.

"That's a bit stalkerish, don't you think?"

She swatted me gently before begging me to go upstairs with her. She had a look in her eye that I knew meant I was going to be subjected to hours of girl talk. I hated girl talk. I wasn't any good at it nor was I girly enough.

"You do realize they'll be able to hear every word we say, right?" I asked as she dragged me upstairs once I'd finished eating.

"That's why the boys are going hunting!" she said in a loud voice, emphasis on hunting. She shot me a grin as Edward and Jasper mumbled a "yes, ma'am," and we heard the door open then close behind them.

"Spill," she demanded once we were in the room she shared with Jasper. There was a huge bed, a dresser with a mirror, and a comfy looking chair. I plopped down in the chair while she sprawled out on the bed like she used to do when we'd have girl talk time.

"Spill what?" I asked, feigning innocence.

"You, Edward, sex," she said, kicking her legs up behind her as she lay on her stomach.

I rolled my eyes at her as I curled up in the chair. "We've had sex. You know that. You've probably seen it. Why do we need to discuss this?"

"Because that's what sisters do!"

"You don't see me asking about your sex life," I commented.

"It's amazing!" she gushed. "Jasper is absolutely wonderful and so romantic. And the things that man can do with his tong–"

I covered my ears, not wanting to hear anymore. "TMI, Alice! There's a reason I don't ask. I have no desire to hear about your sex life."

Alice looked at me, a pout on her lips. "You're no fun."

I groaned and dropped my head onto my knees. "He's fantastic, and he has an amazing recovery time. There. Happy now?"

She let out a snort. "Hardly."

"You've got a perfect memory. Just think back to what you saw, and you'll have all your answers," I told her.

She let out a huff, but thankfully, she dropped the subject. We spent an hour talking about all manner of things. We talked about her new life, about how much she loved Jasper, and about my feelings toward Edward. A little while later, there was a knock on the bedroom door, and Jasper and Edward were on the other side.

"Want to watch a movie or two?" Edward asked, and I nodded. I followed him down the stairs and into the living room, taking a spot on the couch. A few minutes later, the back door opened, and Emmett and Rosalie came in. Immediately, Emmett flopped down on the floor with a couple of pillows, wanting to know what we were watching. I had no idea.

"We've got zombie movies, comedies, horror, or romance," Edward said, crouching beside the entertainment center.

"Zombie!" Emmett yelled with Jasper echoing him. I shrugged, not really caring as long as we weren't watching a romance. I hated romance movies.

Edward popped _Resident Evil_ into the player then sat down next to me on the couch, pulling me into his side. Alice was cuddled up on Jasper's lap in the recliner, and Rosalie was nowhere to be found. I guess she was too cool to hang out with the rest of us, and I was perfectly fine with that. Unfortunately, peace didn't reign in the land for long. About halfway through the movie, Rosalie came stomping into the room, and I worried for the hardwood floors. If she stomped around any harder, she'd put holes in the floor, and I'd bet Esme would be pissed about that.

"I need to speak with you," she said, stopping in front of Edward and blocking both of our views of the TV.

"I've heard what you had to say. I'm done listening to you. Now, move. You're blocking my view," Edward said, his tone as cold as hers.

"Leave it alone, Rosie," Emmett said from his place on the floor. She whirled around and shot him a dirty look before turning her sight on me. Her gaze narrowed when she saw my hand in Edward's. I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Problem?" I asked.

Before I could blink, I was yanked up by the hair on my head and tossed carelessly onto the floor. A loud roar echoed throughout the room, and I saw not only Edward, but Alice go after Rosalie. She didn't stand much of a chance against the two of them. A loud crack filled the air, and I looked across the room as I slowly sat up with Jasper's help. I was really getting fucking tired of being tossed around like a rag doll. Rosalie was pinned against the wall by Alice, and Rosalie's arm was lying on the floor next to her. It was obvious that one of them had ripped it off. What really surprised me was that Emmett hadn't even tried to stop it. He'd intervened last time Edward had gone after Rosalie, but he hadn't this time. Instead, he was standing there looking at Rosalie with almost a look of pity.

"I thought we talked about this, Rosie," he said with a resigned sigh as he bent down to pick up her arm. "Let's go. I'll put you back together."

With an apology directed at me, which I shook off, he grabbed Rosalie's good arm and dragged her outside. She bitched the entire way, and I wondered, not for the first time, what Emmett saw in her.

"Let me see your head," Edward commanded softly. At the rate I was getting head injuries, I was going to end up with permanent brain damage.

"I'm fine. Well, I have a headache, and I think I lost some hair, but I've had worse," I told him, although he ignored me and thoroughly inspected my head. Once I was deemed okay, Edward placed a kiss on the top of my head and wrapped his arms around me. I felt slightly uncomfortable with the PDA, but I couldn't resist leaning into him. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Alice beaming at us while Jasper had a small smile playing on his lips.

We went back to watching the movie, although I kept get distracted by the feel of Edward's hands. They were on my thighs, my arms,and my hands. I finally smacked him and told him to cut it out. All he gave me was a cocky grin. As the movie was ending, Esme and Carlisle came back, and they both looked upset. I could only assume they'd heard about what had happened. I was right when a few minutes later, Carlisle called a family meeting. I got up to leave seeing as how I wasn't family, but Carlisle asked me to stay.

"You're Alice's sister, and you're special to Edward. Besides, this concerns you as well."

I nodded and sat back down next to Edward who clasped my hand in his, giving it a squeeze when Emmett and Rosalie came in. Apparently, Emmett had been successful in reattaching Rosalie's arm. I'd heard it was a rather painful process, and I certainly hoped that was true. The bitch deserved to be in pain.

"I have to say that I'm disappointed in how this family is behaving," Carlisle began, and I noticed that all his children seemed to squirm at his words. "We are here to stop Victoria from harming, killing, or turning anymore people. If any one of you doesn't want to help, you're free to leave and head back to Forks. There will be no using Bella as bait and no handing her over to Victoria. Do I make myself clear?"

I looked around the room and saw everyone nodding, although Rosalie looked less than thrilled to be agreeing with Carlisle.

"Since I won't be offered up as bait, what is our plan on hunting down Victoria?" I asked, interested in hearing what Carlisle had planned.

"I'll be taking a trip into the city to meet with Demetri's man, Felix. I can almost guarantee Victoria will have someone looking out for any of us. Once she knows I'm there, I'm sure she'll want to talk," he said. I frowned at his words. I'd come to like Carlisle and respect him. I certainly didn't want him to get hurt, and I voiced my concerns.

"I appreciate your concern, Bella, but I'll be fine. I promise. She won't try anything yet. She wants all of us, not just me."

So, that was that. In two days' time, Carlisle would meet with Felix, and we'd go from there. I could tell I wasn't the only one who objected to his plan, but Carlisle was firm, and his mind was made up. And as Carlisle had pointed out, Alice would keep an eye on things.

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**a/n: As always, I love to hear what you thought. I'm aware that there is another purge going on , so if for some reason my story gets the boot, you can find me on fictionpad dot com. All one word. My author name is the same over there. See you all next Friday!**

**P.S. I'm thinking about making a FB group for this story. Let me know if you would be interested. If there's enough interest, I'll start one.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! It's super appreciated! I always enjoy hearing what you thought about the chapter. Hope everyone is having a good Friday. I managed to get myself a 4 day weekend, so I'm doing my best to enjoy it, although this warm weather is killing me. I'm a fall weather kind of gal. Big thanks to Gigi Scott and gatorgrl91 for their awesome beta skills.**

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The next two days almost crawled by, and yet, at the same time, they passed by quickly. The time was spent trying to relax, but I think we were all a bit nervous and anxious to see what Carlisle would find out. When Thursday arrived, Carlisle kissed Esme goodbye, gave the rest of us hugs, and headed out. Alice assured us all it would be fine. I hoped she was right.

Throughout the morning, Alice kept us informed as to the decisions Carlisle was making. At one point, I asked if she could see the decisions that Victoria was making.

She shook her head. "Not at the moment. She keeps changing her mind as does Felix. Until one of them makes a definite decision, I'm flying blind."

"Well, here's hoping he's trustworthy and doesn't try and double cross us," Emmett said, crossing his massive arms over his chest.

"Demetri trusts Felix, so we will as well," Esme said, her voice the voice of reason. I didn't trust Demetri, but I'd worked with him long enough to know that he kept his word. Beyond that, I couldn't say that I'd trust him with my life. As far as I knew, he wasn't a vegetarian, and I never asked how he got his meals. I was better off not knowing ;because, if I knew, I'd probably kill him, and I needed him for information.

By six o'clock that evening, the Cullens were a nervous bunch. It was almost comical to see five vampires pacing around their living room. Alice was the only one not pacing, and she kept trying to get Jasper to send out waves of calm to help everyone. Twenty minutes later, they all let out a collective sigh, and I could only assume that meant that Carlisle was near. The second he was in the door, he was wrapped up in Esme's arms, and I realized just how worried she'd been. She'd played it cool, keeping a level head, but she'd been just as nervous as the rest of us.

"Felix sent me a text about five minutes before our meeting letting me know he couldn't get away, but that Victoria knew we were in town and was going to send one of her newborns. About ten minutes later, we were contacted by one of her newborns. The girl had a message for us," he began.

As he spoke, I wondered why Alice hadn't seen Victoria's decision, and judging from the frown on her face, she was wondering the same.

"What was the message?" Esme asked.

"Victoria said she'd leave the area, taking her newborns with her if we hand over Bella."

"Not happening," Edward growled.

Carlisle held up a hand. "Calm yourself, Edward. No one is handing Bella over to Victoria. We'll find another way to stop her. I'll give Eleazar a call and see if he would be willing to help us out should we need it."

_Oh, goodie._ Like I wanted to see or deal with Tanya again. Then again, maybe she and Rosalie would keep each other occupied, and they'd leave me alone. That, or they'd gang up on me and hand me over to Victoria.

"Come on," Edward said, helping me up from the couch. "Let's get out of here for a bit."

"Sure," I told him.

"Be careful," Carlisle told us. "And please be alert. Victoria has spies everywhere, and I don't want the two of you to be caught off guard."

"We'll be careful," Edward promised, tapping his finger against his temple. "I'll hear anyone who has thoughts of Victoria, and I'm sure Alice will look out for us as well."

With a wave goodbye, we headed out to the garage where Edward led me over to a super expensive looking SUV. He held the passenger door open for me, and I got in.

"Where to?" I asked him.

"You'll see," he said with a secretive smile. We drove for about an hour before he pulled the car off the main road, and we began heading down a small dirt road. Moments later, Edward stopped the SUV at a dead end and turned the car off.

"Hop on," he said after I got out of the car. I got on his back, and he took off running, dodging trees and branches left and right. I had my eyes tightly closed until we came to a complete stop. When I opened my eyes, we were standing in a small clearing with a little pond. The sound of birds and frogs came to a stop the closer Edward walked us toward the pond.

"What do you think?" he asked, lowering me to the ground.

"This is amazing," I told him as I slid off his back.

"Yeah, it is. I come here to think and get away from the family whenever we're in Seattle."

We spent several hours in the clearing, talking, kissing, and making love. I was falling so freaking hard for him, and I was scared he didn't feel exactly the same way. Yes, he said he cared for me, but that wasn't the same as being in love with me. Hell, the fact that I was in love with him scared the shit out of me.

"Promise me that you'll be careful and do what we tell you when it comes down to Victoria and the newborns," he said later as we headed back to the Cullen house.

"I promise, but you have to promise to be careful as well. I've come to care for you and don't want to see you hurt," I told him, not quite ready to let him know my true feelings. I knew Alice knew how I really felt, and of course, Jasper knew, but they had promised not to say anything to Edward.

* * *

"Why is this Victoria after your family?" Eleazar asked as he and his coven stood around the Cullen living room. They'd shown up not long after we'd gotten back from the meadow.

"A few months back, Bella and Alice showed up at our house in Forks looking for any help we could give them in regards to Victoria and her mate, James. I'd run across Victoria before, and I offered to help in any way I could. Unbeknownst to them, Victoria and James followed them to our house. A fight broke out, Alice was bitten, and James was killed. Now, Victoria is out for revenge," Carlisle explained.

Tanya, who was standing next to Rosalie, sneered at me before whispering something in Rosalie's ear. Rosalie nodded and whispered something back, both of them shooting me nasty looks. _Oh, yeah._ The Barbies were up to something.

"Have you had any contact with Victoria since then?" Carmen asked with concern on her face.

Carlisle explained that he'd met with one of Victoria's minions and told them what he'd learned. Of course, Tanya choose that moment to open her mouth.

"Let me get this straight. Bella led Victoria to you, had you kill Victoria's mate for her, and now, Victoria wants her or else she's going to unleash war on you? Give Victoria the bitch. Problem solved."

Before I could move or anyone else could react, Esme was in Tanya's face. "Bella didn't lead them here intentionally, and she didn't have us kill anyone for her. She's family now, and there's no way in hell I'm handing her over to Victoria. So, you can just get that thought out of your head."

I felt a fierce rush of emotion toward Esme in that moment. It had been a very long time since I'd had a mother stand up for me, and I could see why the kids in this family considered her their mother. She was everything a mother should be: loving, fierce, loyal, and compassionate. Jasper, having felt what I was feeling, gave me a small smile and reached around Alice to give my shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Family? Please," Tanya scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, family. Is that a problem?" Esme asked, looking seconds away from smacking Tanya.

"And just how is _she_ family?"

"She's my mate," Edward growled, and my head whipped around so fast, I almost hurt myself.

_What the hell was he talking about?_ I wasn't his mate. How could I be? I wasn't a vampire.

Tanya must have been thinking along the same lines as me because she let out a laugh as if Edward had said the funniest thing. "She can't be your mate. She's human."

"Well, she is so ,get over it."

"Be quiet, Tanya," Carmen said. "If Edward says she's his mate, then she is. Edward has never lied to us, so why would he start now?"

Tanya shot Carmen a look of disbelief before turning around and stalking toward the back of the room. She looked at Rosalie who was looking just as shocked. Looking around the room, neither Carlisle nor Esme seemed surprised. A quick glance to my right showed Alice, who refused to meet my gaze, had a small smile on her lips and Jasper who looked smug.

"Can you excuse us for a second?" I asked, grabbing Edward's arm and yanking him up.

Making sure he was following me, I headed outside and down the dirt path, far enough away from the house so the others couldn't hear us. Stopping a little ways down the path, I turned to face him.

"Mate?" I practically screamed at him. "Care to explain?"

He had the decency to look a bit sheepish, and his hand rubbed the back of his neck. He opened his mouth to speak and then stopped, only to open it again.

"I didn't believe it at first," he said quietly, lowering himself to the ground and sitting down. I stayed standing, staring down at him.

"I'd never heard of a vampire falling for a human, much less finding a human mate. It's unheard of," he told me. "I refused to accept it until Alice showed me it was true."

"And you didn't think I deserved to know?" I asked, outraged.

"Are you kidding? I don't need to be Alice to know how you'd react. You'd freak out and run as far away from me as you could, and I didn't want that. Hell, Bella, I'm still coming to terms with it all," he said, his fingers running through his hair.

"I can't be your mate, Edward. I just can't. It wouldn't work," I told him, pacing back and forth.

"It'll work. Otherwise, we wouldn't be mated. Alice has seen it. You just have to give us a chance. I can honestly tell you I''ve never felt this way about anyone before."

I let out a sigh, plopping down on the ground next to him. "I haven't either, but I tend to keep people at arm's length. I didn't want to fall for you, Edward. It goes against everything I am. How the hell would it look to other hunters if I'm romantically involved with a vampire? Talk about sleeping with the enemy."

"We're not all bad," he said with a bite in his voice. "You know that. After all, your sister is one of us."

"I know that, but not all hunters do. How is this going to work, Edward? Mating is for life. I'm going to die, probably sooner rather than later. Not to mention, if Victoria catches wind of this, you know she'll do everything she can to come after me. She'll know that I'm your weakness."

"Trust me, Bella. We'll make this work. I promise," he vowed, cupping my face in his. I nodded as I stared into his eyes, but I didn't have nearly the confidence he did.

* * *

"It's time," Carlisle said the following night. "Felix contacted me and has given me the location of where several newborns are going to be."

"Are we sure he isn't setting us up?" Irina, one of the Denali sisters, asked.

"I'm sure," Carlisle responded. "I'm going to take Edward and Jasper with me. I need the rest of you to stay here and guard the house."

I knew Carlisle was taking Edward so he could read the newborns minds and Jasper to subdue them. Emmett seemed a bit put out that he wasn't going to be going, but he got over it rather quickly when Edward made him promise to watch over me.

"I mean it, Em. Don't let Bella out of your sight. This could be a ruse to get us out of the house, leaving Victoria free to snatch Bella."

I rolled my eyes at his overly protective attitude and wanted to protest that I could take care of myself, but I saw Alice shake her head slightly at me from out of the corner of my eye, and I kept quiet. With a heavy heart and more than a bit worried, I watched the three of them walk out the door.

The minute they were gone, Alice assured us she'd keep watch and let us know if anything bad was about to happen. If so, the others would go to Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper's rescue.

"They've found three newborns," Alice said about forty minutes later. "Carlisle is questioning them about Victoria's whereabouts and intentions. As far as Victoria goes, I can't get a read on her."

Throughout the night, Alice kept us informed, and we all let out a sigh of relief when she announced they were on their way back. Carlisle had offered the vegetarian lifestyle to the three newborns, but they'd refused and had tried to attack. In the end, despite their newborns strength, Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper had ended them.

"This is a mess," Carlisle said once they'd gotten back. "Victoria's keeping the newborns in an old shipyard near the docks. So far, she's made twelve newborns and doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon."

"She lets them out at night to feed whenever and wherever they want," Edward informed us, sitting down on the couch and pulling me close to him. "But, she's also got them convinced that if they aren't back by sunrise, they'll burn to ashes."

"So that's how she's controlling them," I commented because I'd been wondering. From what I'd learned over the years, newborns were extremely difficult to control, especially, since they were super strong for the first year.

"Exactly, but she's not working alone," Edward told me, and we were all a bit shocked to hear that.

"Who's helping her?" Alice asked.

"We don't know. The newborns that we caught said they'd never seen Victoria's partner, but they knew she wasn't taking over Seattle alone."

"Demetri's guy never mentioned a partner, did he?" I asked. Carlisle shook his head and said he didn't think Felix knew. I wasn't convinced that Felix wasn't Victoria's partner, and I voiced my concern.

"The newborns were fairly certain her partner was female."

My first thought was Rosalie or even Tanya, but I shook it off. As much as I despised them, I didn't think they'd do anything to hurt their families. However, looking over at the two of them talking quietly had me a bit suspicious. I certainly didn't trust either of them, and I really hoped they weren't somehow involved. Then again, Alice would see if they were.

"So, what are we going to do?" Emmett asked. "Are we going to hunt them down and take out those that we find? Eventually, Victoria's going to notice that her newborns aren't coming back."

"That's the plan for now. Felix will let us know where the newborns have been spotted, and we'll go and talk to them. If they won't cooperate, then we'll have to end them," Carlisle said, sadness on his face. I could tell it pained him to have to kill the newborns, but if they refused to join the vegetarian lifestyle, he couldn't allow them to run wild around the streets of Seattle.

And that's how it went for a week. Felix would call; Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper would take of and come back with little to no information. Not once in that time did they ever bring back a newborn. By this time, I would have thought Victoria would be out of newborns, but she wasn't. The more the guys destroyed, the more she made. It was becoming ridiculous, and the city of Seattle believed they had a serial killer on their hands with all the people going missing or showing up dead. The police department was in full force, and the citizens were wrought with worry.

One night, Alice let us know that the guys were going to need extra help, so she left with Emmett, Esme, and Eleazar to go help out. I decided to hole up in Edward's room once the others left, not wanting to spend any more time than I had to in the presence of Rosalie and Tanya. Those two were as thick as thieves it seemed, and it was really beginning to make me uneasy.

I was on Edward's bed reading one of his many books when I heard a noise from outside, and then, I heard Carmen tell Kate and Garrett to come with her and for the others to stay behind. Something was going on, and I didn't trust Rosalie, Tanya, or Irina to keep me safe. Getting up from the bed, I went to my bag and dug out my weapons. Edward had gotten me a small hand held propane torch. He'd assured me it would work just as well as my flamethrower. I hadn't tested it yet, but I was more than willing give it a go.

Ready for just about anything coming my way, I crouched down by the bed and waited. There was a sound outside my window and footsteps on the stairs and landing outside the door. _Shit._ I was about to be attacked from either side. Taking a deep breath, I readied myself and had the torch ready before the window even broke. A young vampire came in the window, and I lit his skin up with the torch as well as his shirt. He jumped back, swearing as he tried to put the flame out on his shirt. While he was busy doing that, I headed for the door knowing I would most likely break something if I jumped out the window. I got the door opened and was met with a fist to my face. My head snapped back, and the world went dark.

* * *

"Are you backing out of the deal?" a voice screeched, and I winced as the sound resounded through my head. "You promised that if I brought you Bella, you'd leave Edward unharmed."

"Maybe I've changed my mind," another voice said.

"You owe me!" the voice screeched again, and I recognized it as Tanya's. "Without my help, you never would have been able to make this many newborns. Not to mention that I'm the one that got information out of Rosalie about Bella, and I brought her to you. You fucking owe me!"

_I couldn't fucking believe it!_ Actually, yes I could. Tanya had disliked me from the get go ,although I hadn't been sure as to why. Now, it was obvious. The pathetic bitch was still lusting after a man who hadn't wanted her in years. I had a feeling the Cullens would have a field day when they found out about this. But, what I couldn't understand, was how Tanya had managed to fly under the radar when it came to Alice and Edward's abilities.

"Yes, well now that I have what I want, I can't have you going off telling anyone. Thanks for all your help, but I'm done with you," Victoria said. A low growl filled the air, and I struggled to open my eyes. I heard the sounds of a tussle, and then, a scream that was cut off by the sound of a loud crack. Soon, smoke filled the air and my eyes popped open, and I blinked into the darkness.

"Well, look who's awake," a female voice said, and I squinted until I could make out Victoria's form. "I've been waiting to see you again."

"Too bad I can't say the same," I muttered, wincing as I sat up. I couldn't see much around me, but I could tell I was in an old factory of some sort.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll shut your mouth. I'll have you screaming and begging for your life soon enough," she said, crouching down next to me. I flinched as she ran a finger down my cheek, her fingernail cutting into my skin. Blood trickled from the cut, and she swiped it off before putting her finger in her mouth. Disgust as well as horror swept over me. I so didn't want my last night on earth to be as Victoria's meal.

"So sweet," she murmured. She stood up and grabbed my upper arm, and I knew I'd be bruised. She hauled me up off my feet and dragged me across the room before tossing me into a small room with a door.

"I'll be back," she sang before slamming the door shut, and I heard the click of a lock.

The room was no bigger than a closet, and there were no windows. I had no way out, but I hoped Alice could see me making the decision to try and bust the door down. Several attempts and a dislocated shoulder later, I'd made no progress. Wincing, I sucked in a deep breath before slamming my shoulder into the cement wall once more to put it back in place. I bit my lip hard enough to bleed, but my shoulder was back where it should have been. I decided it wasn't worth attempting to break down the door if it was going to leave me injured. I was going to need all my strength to go after Victoria.

I sat there for what felt like hours, in the dark and in the silence before I finally heard people talking. Getting up, I pressed my ear to the door and strained to hear what was being said.

"What do you mean you lost him?" an outraged Victoria yelled.

"Should I say it in Spanish?" a male voice responded, and seconds later, there was a loud cracking noise, and I knew the guy was done.

"Burn him, and then, clean up his ashes," I heard Victoria tell someone. Apparently, talking back was frowned upon. If she snapped that easily, it was a wonder she had any newborns left at all.

A little while later, there was a commotion outside my door, and I heard voices yelling.

"Victoria, they're here! They managed to find us!" a young girl hollered out, fear making her voice tremble. "There's, like, seven of them, and one of them is this huge guy."

The door to my cell was opened, and I was yanked out by an enraged Victoria. Apparently, the rescue party had arrived, and it seemed as though Victoria wasn't too happy about it, although I didn't know why not. She wanted a fight with the Cullens, and now, she was about to get one.

"How do they know where we are?" she screamed at me, shaking me about like a rag doll. "How the fuck did you do it? How did you get information to them?"

I almost let out a sigh, knowing that Alice had seen me and had most likely relayed the information to the rest of the Cullens.

"Answer me!" she roared, smacking me across the face and splitting my lip. I stared into her crimson eyes and saw the rage there. I knew, in that moment, she wasn't going to let me walk out of there alive. She was going to kill me, and it was most likely going to be an extremely painful death. The only way she'd kill me quickly was if I pissed her off to the point of no return.

"Fuck you," I replied, wincing as another blow came my way. She could torture me all she wanted, but I wasn't telling the bitch a thing.

Furious, she wrapped a hand around my throat and squeezed tight, cutting off my air supply. "I should kill you right now, but I think I'll make you watch as I kill them all. Or perhaps, I should make them watch as I kill you. I'm sure poor Eddie would just be devastated if something happened to his mate."

With those words, she handed me over to a couple of male vamps and told them to keep me restrained. Immediately, my arms were held tightly behind my back, and I watched as Victoria nodded to a couple of kids guarding the entrance to the factory.

"So we meet again," she said in a sickly sweet voice as the Cullens, Alice, and a couple of the Denalis walked in.

"Let her go, Victoria," Edward growled, his body tense and ready to spring.

"No, I don't think I will. Do you have any idea how good she tastes? I think I'll keep her for a while," she said, sauntering toward them without any fear. I couldn't decide if she was stupid or just crazy. Perhaps, she was a bit of both. As she walked closer to my rescue party, vampires after countless vampires started appearing out of the woodwork. She soon had the Cullens and Denalis surrounded by no less than twenty vampires. Apparently, Felix had been wrong about her numbers.

Then, it was my turn to let out a growl when I saw Felix walk up and stand beside Victoria. He had a smug look on his face, and I knew that he'd played Carlisle. What I didn't understand was how Edward hadn't been able to read his true intentions, why Jasper hadn't felt them, and how Alice hadn't seen it.

"Renata, come here please," Victoria said, and I saw a look of horror cross both Carlisle and Eleazar's face. Apparently, they knew this Renata. I wracked my brain trying to figure out if I knew anything about her, but I came up empty. Judging from the looks on Carlisle and Eleazar's faces, I assumed that this Renata was a member of the Volturi.

"I'm sure you've met our dear Renata before, am I right?" Victoria asked them. They both nodded, and I saw Edward shoot a glance at Carlisle. Whatever Carlisle was thinking had Edward nodding slowly.

"Here's what's going to happen," Victoria said and began to speak in a fast, low tone. I had no idea what the hell she was telling them, but it wasn't going over well. Esme was trembling with fear and clutching Carlisle's arm while Carlisle was shaking his head. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett looked furious while Alice looked down right murderous. Rosalie, on the other hand, just looked bored as if she'd heard this all before, and I was beginning to suspect she had.

As Victoria continued to speak, Tanya's sister, Irina, made an attempt to flee. It was the last thing she did. Three vamps were on her so fast I barely saw them move, and then ,she was ashes. That was when all hell broke loose. Within seconds, Carmen and Eleazar had torn apart the vampires

that had killed Irina with Kate and Garrett joining in. Chaos erupted around me, and the two guys holding me must have figured I didn't pose much of a threat. Sadly, they were right. Without my weapons, I was hopeless, so I did my best to stay out of the way of the vampire war that had begun.

"Catch!" Emmett yelled to me, and I looked up in time to see my flamethrower being tossed my way. I caught it as it landed in my hands and grinned. Now, I was in business. I snuck up behind a vampire that was heading toward the fight, and I quickly hit him with the flamethrower before moving on. I was moving pretty quickly, taking out as many vamps as I could, and perhaps, I got a bit too cocky. I made a rookie mistake and didn't pay attention to my surroundings and quickly found myself surrounded by five vamps.

"She's mine," Victoria roared, breaking through the crowd and grabbing my arm. She tossed my flamethrower to the ground where it shattered. The result was instantaneous. Propane leaked out of the tank, a spark somehow got lit, and then, there was a giant wall of fire between the Cullens and me. Then, with lightening quick speed, Victoria wrapped one arm around my neck and used her other hand to tilt my head back. I began to struggle like there was no tomorrow because I had a feeling there just might not be one. I kicked and clawed at her skin until my nails broke and began to bleed, but I wasn't giving up despite the fact that I knew it was a lost cause.

I could hear Alice screaming and Edward begging for Victoria to let me go, but it was no use. The hand in my hair gripped harder and tilted my head back further. Before I could process what was happening, teeth latched onto my skin, and I felt my skin break as the fangs pierced it. I let out a howl of anguish and struggled to get her off of me, but it was no use. The world around me grew dark, and I was fairly certain I cried out Edward's name.

* * *

**a/n: Dun, dun, dun. Cue dramatic music. Can't wait to hear what you thought, and I'll see you next Friday.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry about that cliffie last chapter. Okay, not really. I love cliffies. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews! Getting those is superly (I know that's not a word, but I don't care) awesome. Big thanks to my betas Gigi Scott and gatorgrl91. I made some small changes since I got the chapter back, so all mistakes are mine.**

* * *

So, this was hell, I thought as pain ripped through my body, and I swore my skin was on fire. I hadn't exactly thought I'd go to Heaven or wherever, but I hadn't thought I'd end up in hell either. I wasn't a horrible person. Okay, so I wasn't Mother Theresa, but there were plenty of people out there way worse than me. Still, this was far worse than I'd ever imagined. I'd always hoped that when I died that was it. I would be done, and there would be nothing. I was so fucking wrong.

It seemed that every move I made, no matter how slight, sent jolts of pain racing through me and made me want to cry out. But, I wouldn't. I refused to give the devil or whoever ran this fucked up place an ounce of satisfaction. So, I withered in pain and did my best to hide my fear. Eventually, I became numb and stared into the darkness, listening to the sound of my beating heart. I didn't know how long I'd been there—time had become irrelevant—but I knew it had been a while.

I drifted in and out of states of awareness, and it wasn't until I felt my heart racing that I began to grow really scared. My heart felt like it was trying to fly out of my chest, and the thumping and whirring of my heartbeat grew increasingly violent. Then, there was nothing. Silence met my ears, and I knew, in that moment, I was truly dead. I wanted to weep, but I found that I couldn't, and I prayed that Alice would forgive me for leaving her, and Edward would be okay. With those last thoughts, I sunk into the darkness, letting it take me.

"Alice?" I heard Edward ask, and immediately, I tried to open my eyes. _Why was Edward nearby? _ I was so confused, and then I heard Alice.

"Two minutes and forty-three seconds," she said with a giggle.

I felt a frown form on my face as I tried to figure out what was going on. _Why would they be in hell with me?_ It made no sense. But, as soon as I thought that, I got vague glimpses of what had happened to put me in hell. I remembered Victoria locking me up. The Cullens and Alice coming to the rescue, and I remembered Victoria biting me. Then, a horrible thought hit me. I'd heard about the change, even talked with Alice about it a little bit,about the horrible burning pain and the stopping of the heart. I told myself I was wrong. Alice knew how much I disliked vampires besides the few I'd learned to trust. She would never allow me to change. She wouldn't, would she? Was this what she had meant when she said she'd seen Edward and me working out? If so, I wished she would have warned me, so I could have prepared to become a monster.

Slowly, I opened my eyes, blinking a few times, confused by all the colors I was seeing and amazed at how sharp and clear everything was. Talk about seeing with new eyes. The ceiling above me was painted white with light traces of yellow hidden in it. It was a rather boring ceiling, but I'd never seen a ceiling look so pristine and clear. I blinked a few more times and gave myself a moment to take everything in without moving. I could hear and smell Edward beside me as well as Alice and someone else. Edward was pacing, and the floorboards creaked with every move he made.

Finally, I turned my head and looked at the man that I'd fallen in love with. His eyes and face were lined with worry, but the minute our eyes met he gave me a tender smile.

"Oh, thank God," he said. "I was worried that you'd never wake up."

Lord, he was a vision to behold. I'd thought he was good looking before, but now—now, he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. Giving me another smile, he moved closer, and I suddenly found myself crouched in the corner of the room. I was unsure of how I'd gotten there, but I crouched there, terrified with small whimpers coming from me. I felt different and not like myself at all, and I hated it. Anger and rage welled up inside me, and I lashed out as Edward came closer. Snarls came from my mouth, and I was ready to attack anyone that came any closer.

"Shh," Edward said in a soothing voice, kneeling down in front of me. "You're going to be just fine. I know it's extremely overwhelming at first, but if you let us, we'll help you adjust. I promise."

He held out a hand, and I stared at it, at him, and around the room before I finally put my hand in his. Slowly, he pulled me up until I was standing straight, and then he very gently guided me out of the corner until I was standing in the middle of the room. I looked around once more and saw Alice standing by the door, bouncing on her toes and Carlisle standing next to her with a concerned, fatherly look. I could smell and hear the rest of the Cullens moving around the house and was grateful they weren't in the room with me. It was confusing and terrifying enough with just Alice, Edward, and Carlisle.

"How are you feeling, Bella?" Carlisle asked as Edward walked us over to him.

"Strange, angry, scared," I told him. "Mainly angry. I don't want to be _this_!" I felt like crying and found it upsetting that I couldn't. Edward wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his side, pressing a gentle kiss to my head. I stiffened at first and then slowly relaxed.

Carlisle nodded at my words and told me that what I was feeling was perfectly normal and that it was okay to be angry. I let out a bit of a scoff when he told me it was normal. There was nothing normal about this situation. Carlisle asked me a few more questions which I answered honestly. The second he was done, Alice flew toward me and wrapped me up in a tight hug. I hugged her back, causing her to wince slightly, when I squeezed a bit too hard. I'd forgotten I had newborn strength now. Alice still had hers, but it was waning. So right now I was the strongest sister.

When we broke apart, Alice gave me a sad smile, and if she could have cried, I'm sure she would have. God knew I felt like fucking crying. Actually, I felt like breaking something or someone. She ran her fingers through my hair before grabbing my hand and tugging me toward the mirror hanging above the dresser. Immediately, I closed my eyes. I knew what they would be a bright crimson red.

"Open your eyes, Bells," she said softly.

I didn't want to. I was afraid of what I'd see staring back, but I did. I slowly opened one eye at a time and looked in the mirror. I let out a gasp as I looked at myself. My eyes were extremely creepy looking, and looking at them scared the hell out of me. Taking a deep breath, I began to study the rest of myself, and I had to admit, I looked fucking good. My tits were perkier than they'd been, and my ass was fucking phenomenal. Well, at least I got those perks out of the whole vampire change. I still wasn't thrilled with the fact that I was now something I had once hunted. I wondered how Jensen would take the news.

"Alice, Bella really needs to hunt," Edward said from behind us, and I turned to look at him. I didn't want to hunt, but the minute he said the words, my throat caught on fire, and my hand came up to rest against it.

"Come on," he said, holding a hand out to me. I took his hand, and that was when it registered with me that we were the same temperature. It was weird to hold his hand and not feel the coolness of his touch. Edward gave my hand a gentle squeeze and led me out of the bedroom door and down the stairs. That was when I realized that we weren't at the house in Seattle, but the one in Forks. I was a bit confused, but I knew I'd get the whole story later. I could hear the others in the living room, and I could hear Rosalie bitching, but my thirst was so overwhelming that I couldn't focus on what she was saying.

Edward led me out the door, into the backyard. I followed Edward deeper into the woods until he came to a stop. I could hear a river rippling from somewhere to the east, and there were all kinds of smells.

"Hear that?' he asked quietly, and I stopped, letting my instincts take over. I could hear the rush of blood coming from nearby, and I wanted it so desperately that it wigged me out.

"Go for it," he said with a grin, and I took off, running toward the sound. The closer I got, the more I could smell the blood, and my throat began to really burn. After that, instinct took over, and I took down the deer that was a few feet from me. The poor thing never stood a chance against me. Once I had it down on the ground, my teeth ripped through its throat, and I eagerly drank down the warm liquid flowing from its veins. The blood ran out quickly, and I was still thirsty. Looking up from the deer, I could hear another heart beat not too far away. Without a second thought, I took off toward that sound and took down another deer.

Three deer later, my thirst was satisfied for the moment, and I took a good look down at myself. My clothes were torn and covered in dirt and mud. I was a freaking mess. I took a look around me and saw Edward standing nearby, next to his own kill, and I frowned when I noticed there wasn't a drop of blood on him.

"It gets easier," he told me with a grin. "Ready to head back?"

I nodded, and we headed back toward the house, hand in hand. We broke through the woods, and I grew increasingly nervous the closer we got to the house. Quenching my thirst had taken the edge off of my temper, but I was still a tad bit scared and uneasy.

"It'll be okay," Edward promised. "Just remember that you're the strongest of us all. No one can hurt you," I nodded and then followed him inside.

"Wipe your feet!" Esme called, and I couldn't help but laugh when Edward rolled his eyes. Slowly, I wiped my feet and stepped into the house not getting very far. Alice was in front of me almost immediately and demanded that I take a quick shower and change into clean clothes. Knowing what a mess I was, I didn't argue. I flew up the steps to the top floor, startling myself with my speed. Being a vampire was going to take a lot of getting used to.

I quickly learned that getting my shower started wasn't going to be as easy as it used to be. Not realizing my own strength, I crushed the doorknob to the bathroom before I ended up snapping the hot water faucet right off. As if knowing I needed help, Esme was there right away and got the water started for me in a different bathroom. I apologized profusely for breaking her house. She shook it off with a laugh and told me not to worry about it. Apparently, Emmett had broken plenty of her houses. With a giggle, she told me how Alice had destroyed several doors, a table, and more than a few clothes. I felt a bit better, knowing I wasn't the only one.

Showering was more difficult than it should have been. I squeezed the shampoo bottle too hard, sending shampoo all over the tiles, and crushed the bar of soap that was in my hands. By the time I was done, I never wanted to take another shower again. Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped a towel around myself and headed into the bedroom where I found some clothes waiting for me. Trying to move slowly and be as careful as possible, I managed to get dressed. I was extremely grateful not to have to deal with any buttons or zippers. Showered and in clean clothes, I headed downstairs and found everyone gathered in the living room.

Immediately, my guard went up, and I let out a growl when I saw Jasper. There were scars all over his body, and he looked far more menacing than he did when I was human. Edward gave my hand a squeeze and whispered it was okay; it was just Jasper. I glanced across the room and saw Emmett and Rosalie for the first time since becoming a vamp. I hated to admit it, but Rosalie was stunning. Fucking gorgeous, in fact, which only intensified my dislike of her.

I took a seat on the couch next to Edward and focused on Carlisle who was standing in the middle of the room. Apparently, we were going to have a family meeting, and that was fine with me. I had a few questions I wanted answered.

"First off," Carlisle began. "How are you feeling, Bella?"

"Better now that I've hunted, but I still feel slightly out of control."

"You will for a while still," he told me with a smile. "But you're doing remarkably well. You're far calmer than we expected."

"I might seem that way, but I'm a jumbled mess of emotions on the inside. I'm sure Jasper can attest to that," I said, and Jasper nodded in agreement with me as he sent a smile my way.

"I'm sure you have plenty of questions. So, why don't you tell us what you remember, and we'll go from there," Carlisle said. Frowning as I thought back, I told him I remembered the fight going down.

"I don't remember much after that. I don't know how we got back to Forks or what happened after I was attacked."

"After Victoria bit you, she tossed you aside and took off running. Edward immediately went to you while the rest of us were fighting off the other newborns. Thanks to Victoria's talent, she was able to evade us, and she took Felix and Renata with her."

I let out a growl upon hearing that news. I'd been hoping someone had killed the bitch.

"What about the newborns? Were they all killed?" I asked, questions flying out of my mouth at a rapid rate.

"Unfortunately, we ended up killing most of the newborns. A few of them managed to get away during all the chaos, but we're keeping an eye out for them."

I nodded before asking yet another question. "Who exactly is Renata?" I asked him, knowing that she worked for the Volturi, but that was it.

"Renata is member of Aro's guard," Carlisle explained. "She has the ability to shield him from attacks, and she can also make you forget what you were doing or why you were doing it."

"Do you think Aro knows that Renata was working with Victoria?"

Carlisle nodded. "Most likely. Aro rarely goes anywhere without Renata and almost never lets her out of his sight. If she's here, then he must be aware. Don't forget that Demetri believed that Victoria made a deal with Aro. He wouldn't go after her for making a newborn army, and in return, she'd hand over Edward and Jasper. Aro has been after them to join the Volturi for quite some time."

"Why?" I asked, frowning at that information.

"Because of our talents," Edward told me. "Aro enjoys collecting vampires with talents and adding them to his guard."

"Where are the Denalis?" I asked, changing the subject a bit. I remembered Tanya being turned to ash, and I remembered the Denalis being at the warehouse.

"They went back to Alaska to take some time to mourn over Tanya and Irina's," Carlisle told me.

I let out a small snort. I couldn't help it. I certainly wouldn't be mourning Tanya any time soon. "Tanya handed me over to Victoria and they're mourning over her? You've got to be kidding me," I said, crossing my arms over my chest and wondering what the fuck was wrong with them. The minute I spoke, everyone in the room stilled.

"What?" Carlisle asked, his voice barely a whisper.

"You didn't know?" I asked, confused. They all shook their heads, even Rosalie, and I wasn't sure I was buying what she was selling. I quickly explained what had happened the night I'd been taken. How Tanya had knocked me out and hand delivered me to Victoria in return for Victoria promising not to harm Edward. I then explained how Victoria double crossed Tanya and had ended her.

"Where did you all think Tanya was when I was taken?" I asked, wondering if Rosalie had fed them some cock and bull story to cover for Tanya.

"We assumed she'd taken off after Carmen, Kate, and Garrett when they left to investigate the noises," Esme told me.

I raised an eyebrow. "Well, she didn't. Carmen left me here with Rosalie and Tanya. I'm sure Rosalie can tell you what happened. After all, she and Tanya were thick as thieves."

Rosalie shot me a nasty glare, which I returned. "What? Are you going to sit there and tell me you had no idea what was going on; that you didn't hear or smell the vamp that burst through the window?"

All eyes were suddenly on Rosalie, and I had to admit I enjoyed watching her squirm, especially, when Carlisle asked her what she knew.

"I didn't know anything was going to happen!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "When I heard the guy outside, I took off to try and stop him. Tanya headed upstairs to make sure Bella was safe. I didn't know she was going to go after Bella."

"Bullshit," I said, crossing my arms and glaring at her. "That's such complete bullshit. You took off after that guy in order to give Tanya the opportunity to take me out."

She stood up and stalked toward me, her eyes dark and feral. Her hands were clenched at her side, and I figured I'd come to the right conclusion.

"Fuck you, Bella," she sneered. "Despite what you think, I wasn't in cahoots with Tanya."

She then turned to face Esme and Carlisle. "I swear I didn't know what Tanya was up to. As much as I hate Bella, I wouldn't sacrfice the rest of you."

I stared at her long and hard and wasn't quite convinced, but the rest of the family seemed to be. Edward gave me a small nod as if to tell me she was telling the truth. Emmett wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to him, whispering softly in her ear.

Carlisle shook his head in disgust before pulling out his phone and dialing a number. When Eleazar answered the phone, Carlisle told him they needed to talk about Tanya and her involvement with Victoria. I heard Eleazar ask Carlisle what he was talking about, and Carlisle began to explain as he left the room and headed outside. I could imagine just how hard of a conversation that was going to be.

"I want to know how Tanya knew Victoria," Jasper commented as we watched Carlisle pace around outside.

"I don't know. Maybe they met at some point in the past?" I suggested. It was definitely possible. They were both old vampires and had been around a while.

Fifteen minutes passed before Carlisle came back, inside and he looked worn out. I had a feeling his conversation with Eleazar hadn't gone over well. I was right. Carlisle told us that Eleazar didn't believe me. He didn't believe that Tanya would betray their family and all they'd worked for.

"If it meant getting a chance to make Eddie hers and keeping him safe, then yeah. She'd do anything she could," Emmett said, and we all turned to look at him. "What? It's true. T had her eyes on Ed for years. You can't tell me none of you noticed."

"Well, yeah, I noticed. How could I not? She constantly had disturbing thoughts about us, and I was always telling her to knock it off. Yes, I slept with her a few times about ten years ago, and I eventually realized that I'd made a mistake. I've kept my distance since then."

"Apparently, she never gave up hope that she could make you hers," Esme said softly.

"Guess not," Edward muttered.

"Well, don't be surprised if Eleazar and Carmen show up within the week. They are extremely upset and in complete denial," Carlisle warned.

* * *

The rest of the week passed, and the Denalis hadn't shown up, leaving me feeling a bit on edge. My emotions were all over the place, and I felt more and more out of control despite the constant feeding. I was reassured by the family it was all part of the newborn process. I would easily get angry, and I was incredibly frustrated because I couldn't seem to control my temper or my strength. The Cullen family, minus Rosalie, was doing their best to help me. I spent hours talking to Carlisle, learning to control my temper with Jasper, and learning how to behave, control my strength, and move in a more human-like fashion with, well everyone. It would take time, but I was slowly getting better.

A week later, I decided it was time to give Jensen a call. He'd blown my phone up with texts and voicemails, and I hadn't returned any of them. It didn't help that I crushed my phone the first time I attempted to use it. After multiple tries and several crushed phones, I'd finally gotten the hang of using a cell phone and called Jensen from Alice's phone.

"Alice?" Jensen asked upon answering.

"No, it's Bella," I said, bracing myself his outrage. A flurry of curses flew out of his mouth before he demanded to know where I was and why I hadn't returned his calls.

"I'm in Forks," I told him. "And, I'm—I'm okay. Sort of."

"What happened?" he asked, fear evident in his voice.

"Victoria got me about three weeks ago. I've been changed," I said, answering the question he asked.

"Fuck! I can't believe it. The hunter community is going to throw a fucking fit when they find out that both Swan girls are vamps. They're will be a bounty on your heads for sure," he said quietly.

"What? Why? I mean, besides the obvious."

"Because, the two of you are now the ultimate threat. Not only do you know a shit ton about hunting, but now, you've got added vampire abilities to go with it."

"Yeah, well. No one needs to know that we're vamps."

I heard Jensen let out a sigh. "They'll figure it out eventually, Bella. Maybe not at first, but they will. Especially, if no one hears from or about you taking any vamps out."

"So I'll make fake inquires for a while. That should hold them off."

Jensen let out another sigh but told me he'd do what he could to keep our secret. Now that I was a vampire, I sure as fuck didn't want to be hunted. Then again, I wasn't planning on going around killing innocent people. I was still against vampires killing humans, and the more I thought about things, the more I realized I could still be a hunter. Like Jensen had said, I now had the advantage with my added abilities.

After I hung up with Jensen, I sat on the bed in Edward's room and got lost in myself for a while. I lay back on the bed and realized just how much I missed sleeping. I missed being able to turn my mind off and just tune out the world for eight hours or so. I missed eating real food. Fuck it. There was a ton of shit I missed about being human, mainly my humanity.

"You okay?" Edward asked, entering the room and laying himself down next to me.

"Just thinking," I told him, smiling a bit when he linked our fingers together and brought them to his lips. He placed a gentle kiss on them, and I found myself falling for him even more. We'd spent quite a bit of time talking about us and where our relationship was going. Obviously, being mates now wasn't going to be an issue.

Edward tugged me closer, and I curled up against him, my head resting against his chest. I loved just being with him like this, lost in our own little bubble. Well, as lost as we could be, knowing everyone could hear every move we made. The whole no privacy thing was giving me some issues. I was an extremely private person and having that privacy become nonexistent was hard on me.

Edward was tracing light circles against my back and running his fingers softly through my hair when his hand came to a stop, and his body went rigid.

"What's wrong?" I asked, but then I heard it as well. There were footsteps coming through the backyard.

"Carmen and Eleazar," he said, getting up off the bed and offering me his hand. I took it, and we slowly began to head downstairs together. I had to admit, I was a bit nervous about what Eleazar and Carmen were going to say.

Jasper was standing near the backdoor with a frown on his face. "They are pissed," he told us, and then I felt him send out a wave of calm.

Carlisle and Esme greeted Carmen and Eleazar as they came up the porch. Despite the fact it was obvious the Denalis weren't there for a friendly visit, Carlisle and Esme played the perfect hosts. Once everyone was settled in the living room, Eleazar stood near the bay windows, staring out them before speaking.

"I've come to ask Bella some questions," he began, turning to face me and giving me a dark look. "Carlisle called us and told us that you believe that Tanya was involved in this whole mess."

"I refuse to believe that Tanya was involved," Carmen stated, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at me.

"Well, I'm not lying. She was the one who knocked me out after I attacked the guy that came through my window," I told them, and I watched as they both shook their heads.

"She wouldn't do that," Carmen said, her fists clenched at her side. "Tanya wouldn't betray us!"

Eleazar continued to give me a dark look as he began to speak. "I don't knowwhat you hope to gain by spreading these lies. We've lost two daughters! Our family came to help the Cullens out of the mess that you got them in, and this is how you thank us? By accusing our daughter of being at traitor?"

"I'm not lying," I replied, anger infused in my voice as I stood up. "Tanya took me to the warehouse and handed me over to Victoria. She'd apparently made a deal with her. In exchange for helping her, Victoria had promised not to harm Edward."

I saw Carmen and Eleazar exchange knowing glances, and I realized they must have known about her feelings toward Edward. The two of them moved closer to the window and spoke quietly to each other, casting glances at me once in a while. I sure as hell hoped they would realize that I wasn't lying about Tanya.

"Tanya would have done anything to make Edward hers," Carmen muttered softly as she turned to face us. "I just don't understand how or why she would have gotten involved with Victoria."

"We were sort of hoping you knew how they met," Edward said.

"I don't recall her ever mentioning Victoria, but it is possible they met before Eleazar or I joined Tanya and Irina."

"Was she acting out of character at all in the past months?" Carlisle asked them.

"About a month or so ago, she took off for a while. She didn't say where she was going or why, and that wasn't like her," Carmen told us. "She didn't normally venture too far from our home, and when she would, she'd let us know where she was going."

"Perhaps that was when she was meeting with Victoria," Esme suggested.

Carmen nodded, a frown marring her pretty face. "I just don't understand why. She was committed to our way of life. I don't understand what would possess her to help someone kidnap and turn innocent people."

"Rosalie, did Tanya ever say anything to you?" Carlisle asked.

I knew something was up when Rosalie wouldn't meet Carlisle's gaze. I was pretty sure she knew something, and I couldn't help but think that perhaps she was trying to protect Tanya or her reputation at any rate.

Taking a deep breath all while staring at the floor, Rosalie began to speak. "I didn't know she was working directly with Victoria," she finally said, arms crossed over her chest and staring out the window. "All she told me was that she knew of a way to get rid of Bella. I didn't know she was working against us. I swear."

"Why would you want to get rid of Bella?" Alice asked, hurt and anger on her face. I could tell she was on the verge of ripping Rosalie apart. Alice might have been tiny, but she was also a force to be reckoned with.

"Why do you think? You and your sister showed up and ruined our peaceful lives. Until you came along, we didn't have any trouble. You two showed up and look what happened" she shouted.

"It wasn't their fault, Rosalie," Esme said in a soft voice. "They came to us for help, and we offered it. Did you once ever stop to think how they must have felt? Bella almost lost her sister to James. I'm disappointed in you."

Rosalie had the decency to hang her head with a sheepish look. I understood her being upset that we brought James and Victoria to their doorstep, but it hadn't been intentional.

"You're a real piece of work," Edward growled lowly, and I watched Jasper put a hand on Edward's shoulders. Jasper sent out some of his feel good mojo, and everyone relaxed a bit more. I shot a look over to Eleazar and Carmen, and they were staring at Rosalie in disbelief.

"You knew that Tanya was working with Victoria?" Eleazar asked.

Rosalie shook her head. "I didn't have any proof, and I wasn't going to question her. Tanya had said she could get in touch with Victoria but nothing more. I didn't ask questions because I didn't really care to know the answers."

Eleazar and Carmen both looked a bit devastated while the Cullens looked shocked. Eleazar wrapped an arm around Carmen and turned to face me.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I hope you'll forgive us. We've been dealing with the loss of Tanya and Irina, and it's been hard."

I nodded and let them know they were forgiven. Given their situation, I knew I'd react the same if I was told someone in my family was a traitor. Hell, I'd fucking beat the shit out of someone who accused my sister or father of being a traitor.

At some point during the evening, Emmett took Rosalie out to hunt, and I swore the whole room let out a sigh of relief once she was gone. The tension had been a bit thick, but I knew that things weren't over as far as Rosalie was concerned.

"You have quite the gift, Bella," Eleazar said a while later, and I turned to look at him, totally confused as to what he was talking about.

"What gift?" I asked.

"You're a shield," he told me.

"What? Like Renata?"

"Stronger, I believe. Renata has a limited range, but I have this feeling that you're an extremely strong shield. It definitely explains why Edward can't hear your mind," Eleazar said.

"Why didn't you see this?" I asked Alice. She shook her head, looking just as confused as me.

"Does Jasper's gift affect you?" Eleazar asked, leaning forward, his hands clasped together.

"Yes," I told him. "Just like Alice can see decisions I make. The only person whose gift doesn't work on me is Edward's."

"Strange," he muttered, sitting back and appearing deep in thought.

"So, as a shield, I can protect myself and others from attacks?" I asked, and Eleazar and Carlisle nodded.

"It takes practice," Carlisle told me and asked if I'd be willing to take some time out of the day to practice. I agreed because Victoria was still out there, and she had the fucking Volturi backing her. Or, at least they had. Since she'd failed to deliver Edward and Jasper, I had a feeling she was going to be on the Volturi's shit list. I had no doubt that Renata was on her way back to Volterra, and she was going to spin things so that she was an innocent victim of Victoria's scheming.

"Well, I'm more than willing to learn how to use my shield. I'll do whatever it takes to keep us safe," I told him.

"Excellent. We'll start working on using your shield tomorrow. Eleazar? Carmen? Victoria is most likely coming after us, and she's probably going to bring reinforcements. Can we count on you to help us if we need it?" Carlisle asked.

Both Eleazar and Carmen nodded. "We'll help however we can. Kate and Garrett will most likely help us as well."

"Do we have any idea where Victoria would go?" I asked because I was itching to take her out. The bitch had turned me into something I never wanted to be, and I felt a bit of payback was in order.

Carlisle rubbed a hand over his face. "No. She could be anywhere."

I wasn't comforted by that thought. Pulling out Alice's phone, which I'd forgotten to give back to her, I called up Jensen. I asked him to keep an eye out for any towns with a ton of missing people. He promised he would. He had a beef with Victoria as well. I'd never asked why he'd started hunting her, and he'd never volunteered the information.

"I'll call Ryder and a few others that I trust and have them keep an ear to the ground as well. Have you talked to Demetri?"

"No. I'm not sure he's trustworthy, Jensen. His inside man, Felix, was working with Victoria."

"That's the point of an inside man, Bella. He couldn't exactly blow his cover and let Victoria know he was betraying her."

"Yeah, but when it came down to the fight, he could have easily made his position known. He disappeared after Victoria fled. Can you please have your friends be on the lookout for him as well?" I asked, giving him Felix's description. He agreed, but I could tell he was just humoring me.

I knew the upcoming weeks were going to be rough with all the training that I would be doing. I just hoped I could learn what I needed to know before Victoria came after us again.

* * *

**a/n: So, like most of you figured Bella is now a vamp. And to those that asked, there will be no Renesmee in this story. I can't wait to hear what you thought, so don't be shy. Leave a review! See you next Friday.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I know, I know. It's no longer Friday therefore this chapter is late. But only by three hours. Hopefully, you all aren't too angry with me. Thanks bunches for the reviews! Also a big thanks to Gigi Scott and gatorgrl91 for helping me out and fixing my comma errors. **

**This chapter also comes with a lemon.**

* * *

I spent the following days learning how to control my shield. Carlisle would have different family members rush me, and I had to protect myself. I found that I could do that easily enough, but I had more difficutly protecting others. It took a lot more focus and more power, for lack, of a better word, to be able to protect more than one person from being attacked. At this point, trying to shield more than one person was impossible. It frustrated me to no end, and I ended up taking my frustration out on a few trees in the forest behind the house. It didn't help that I was sexually frustrated as well. Ever since I'd woken up to see Edward through my new eyes, I'd been lusting after him. However, we hadn't had any time alone to do anything about it, and I was going fucking crazy.

"What's got you so upset?" Edward asked from behind me.

"How do you do it?" I asked, turning around and leaning my back against a tree that had survived my destructive nature. "How do you handle never having any privacy?"

He gave me a shrug and a smile. "You get used to it, but we try to give each other as much privacy as possible. It's pretty private right now."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"So why don't you tell me what's really wrong," he said, placing his arms around my waist and pulling me against him. "Are you frustrated?"

I lost the ability to answer as his lips pressed kisses against my neck, and he nibbled his way across my collarbone. His hands left my waist, slipped underneath my shirt, and began to tug it up. I let out a groan as his lips left my skin, but as soon as my shirt was tossed to the ground, his lips were back on mine. I was so fucking horny that I couldn't even care that we were in the woods.

"God, I've fucking missed you," I told him between kisses.

"Oh baby, I've missed you, too. God, I can't wait to fuck you like I've wanted to," he told me and with those words, he ripped my bra off, and I let out a moan as his lips wrapped around my nipple.

The sex between us had always been hot, but Edward had held back due to my being human. But now … now, Edward could let loose, and he did. Within seconds, my jeans and panties were off, and I was turned around and told to place my hands against the tree. Trembling with want, I did as I was told and braced myself for the delicious onslaught.

"Hold on tight," he told me, his lips running up and down my neck as his hands roamed, squeezed, and caressed my body.

My fingers dug into the bark of the tree, and I let out a moan, tossing my head back as one of Edward's hands stroked across my torso and delved between my thighs, his fingers thrusting into me.

"So fucking wet for me," he groaned into my ear, thrusting himself against my back.

His fingers were driving me insane, and it wasn't enough. I needed his cock, and I needed it right then. Reaching behind me, I grasped his cock in my hand, pumping and squeezing him.

"Enough," he said, taking my hand off of him and thrusting into me so hard I screamed. Both of my hands held onto the tree in front of me as Edward thrust in and out while the fingers of one of his hands playing with my clit. It didn't take long before I was clamping down on him and screaming out his name. He pumped into me harder and faster before roaring my name and sagging against me.

I was honestly surprised the tree in front of us had held up. Although, a closer inspection showed that I'd clawed the hell out of it.

"Better?" Edward asked, interrupting my inspection of the tree.

"Oh, yeah. We need to do that more often," I said with a sigh, leaning back against him.

He let out a husky laugh. "Anytime."

I felt more relaxed as we made our way back to the house, and I managed to ignore Rosalie as she wrinkled her nose when we walked in. I knew we smelled like sex, and I wasn't about to apologize for it.

"Feeling better?" Emmett asked me with a smirk.

"Immensely," I replied with my own smirk.

Over the past few days, Emmett and I had become close. He was like the older brother I'd never had, and he was fiercely protective. He loved helping me train and was more than willing to be my guinea pig when it came to testing my shield. Rosalie fucking hated it, and more than once, I'd heard her bitching about it. He'd finally put her in her place, so she spent a majority of her time pouting. It was a bit pathetic.

Eleazar, Carmen, Kate, and Garrett had headed back to Alaska with promises to keep a lookout for Victoria. They were out for blood just as much we were. In the meantime, we were supposed to go on living our lives like nothing had happened, and I was finding that difficult.

Days slowly turned into weeks and weeks into months. I was extremely irritated and frustrated that there was no information about Victoria. Jensen hadn't found anything, and no one had heard from Demetri which only lead me to believe that he'd lead us on.

I was sitting in the backyard on a bench near Esme's garden when an unfamiliar smell assaulted my nose as the wind blew by. I was by myself at the house. Esme had run into town with Alice, Carlisle was at the hospital, and the others had gone hunting. I'd told Edward I'd be fine on my own, and I was confident I would be as long as no humans showed up. I'd had a close encounter a week ago when Edward and I were in the woods. Some hikers had gotten lost, and I'd been more than tempted to make them my dinner. Thankfully, Edward and my sanity had prevailed, and it only made me realize just how hard it was to go against the natural grain. After that, I had a lot more respect for the Cullens and Denalis.

A snapping of a branch and the sound of footsteps had me putting my book aside and standing up. Instinctively, my shield wrapped around me, and I crouched, ready to attack if need be. Out of the woods stumbled a man with an olive complexion and dark hair.

"Help," was all he said before he collapsed on the ground. I wasn't about to go near him, but I got my phone out and dialed Edward.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"A vampire just came through the forest and passed out," I told him. Immediately, Edward began to have a minor freak out. He made me promise to keep my distance and told me he'd be back as soon as he could.

I stood in the doorway of the house, never letting my gaze leave the fallen man in the yard. I tried to figure out who he was from where I was standing, but I honestly didn't know. I was sure I had never encountered him before, but his voice had sounded vaguely familiar. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the man on the ground had sounded a bit like Demetri.

"Bella! Are you okay?" Edward asked, bursting through the tree line, Jasper and Emmett right behind him. I nodded and told him I was fine. While Edward was busy checking me over, Emmett and Jasper moved toward the man on the ground for a closer look.

"Shit!" Emmett said. "It's Demetri, and it looks like someone did a number on him."

Emmett picked him up and tossed him over his shoulder before taking him into the house. I wasn't sure that was a wise idea, but then again, Demetri was outnumbered, so I doubted he'd try anything. While Emmett and Jasper went inside, Edward pulled out his phone and called both Esme and Carlisle. Esme and Alice were on their way, but Carlisle was held up at the hospital.

Emmett had dumped Demetri on the couch where I took a good look at him. He was beat the fuck up, and he had a ton of bite marks on him much like Jasper had as well as large bites that looked animalistic. He also had blackened patches along his skin that I easily associated with burns. I'd inflicted tons of those before.

Edward knelt down next to Demetri, and I saw Jasper give Edward a nod. Slowly, Edward reached out and shook Demetri. It took several tries before Demetri responded, and when he did, he came up swinging. Edward easily subdued him while Jasper sent a wave of calm throughout the room.

"It's okay, Demetri," Edward said as Demetri looked around the room with frightened eyes. Whoever had gotten him had scared him something good. Once Demetri focused on Edward, his body sagged with relief.

"I need to … speak with Carlisle," he said, his voice slow and uneven.

"Carlisle's been held up at the hospital, but he'll get here as soon as he can," Edward told him.

"What the hell happened to you, dude?" Emmett asked as Demetri slowly sat up.

"Felix, Renata, wolves," he said, his accent extremely heavy.

"Wolves?" I asked, looking a bit confused. Demetri nodded.

"Large ones, the size of horses. They attacked me not too far from here," he said. I looked to the others for an explanation. I wasn't aware there were any animals out there that could attack a vampire and survive. How could their teeth penetrate our skin?

"There's a Native American tribe in La Push that has the ability to change into wolves," Jasper told me as Edward began to patch Demetri up. "Their main purpose is to attack vampires, but we have a treaty with them. We don't cross the boundaries into their lands, and they don't attack us."

"And you didn't think this was something I needed to know after becoming one of you?" I asked, a bit incredulous that no one had mentioned vampire-eating wolves to me.

"Sorry, Bella, things have been a bit hectic," Jasper told me with a small smile. Well, that was true.

"Bella? Bella Swan?" Demetri asked with a look of surprise on his face.

"Yeah," I said, squirming a bit underneath his gaze.

"But –you're a vampire," he said, confusion on his face.

"Tell me about it," I muttered. "I was changed by Victoria during the fight at the factory. The fight where your man, Felix, betrayed all of us."

"I had no idea Felix was working with Victoria. He certainly had me convinced that he was on our side," he said, fire flashing in his eyes. Apparently, Demetri didn't like being double crossed any more than the rest of us, and I was inclined to believe that he had no idea what Felix had really been up to.

Before long, the entire family was home, and we were all in the living room listening as Demetri recounted his story. He'd left New Orleans where he'd been living after Felix had called. Felix told him that Victoria had gone off the deep end, and that he needed help. Demetri had packed up and headed toward Seattle. He'd known Felix a long time and had no reason not to trust him, but apparently, everyone has a price. I'm not sure what price Felix had been paid, but it was enough for him to turn against his friend.

Demetri told us how he'd gotten to Seattle and settled into an old house that Felix had set up for him, and that's when he was attacked. Felix had greeted him at the door, lulled him into a false sense of security, and then Renata and he had attacked Demetri. They'd broken his fingers and burned him, only stopping after he'd sworn his allegiance to the Volturi. He promiserd to us that he wasn't about to join the Volturi, and he'd taken off as soon as Felix and Renata had headed to the factory.

"I had to see you, Carlisle; I had to warn you. The Volturi are coming for you. See, Aro heard about Victoria and her tricks, and he sent Renata out to eliminate her. However, Victoria managed to strike a deal with Aro through Renata. She said she would deliver Edward and Jasper to Renata, and Aro would let her live.

"What about Felix?" Carlisle asked. "What made him betray you?"

Demetri shook his head, hands tugging at his hair. "Unbeknownst to me, Felix has been working for the Volturi for the past few years. From what little I know, he had gone to Italy a few years back, and that was when the Volturi set their eyes on him."

Carlisle nodded. "Aro must have used Chelsea to influence Felix into joining them," he said, turning to look at the rest of us. "Chelsea has the ability to change peoples' loyalties. If the Volturi are coming here, I can guarantee you they'll bring Chelsea with them. You cannot let her get to you."

I gave him a nod, understanding exactly what he wasn't saying out loud. When the time came, I was going to have to be able to shield everyone from her. It looked like I was going to have to practice even harder.

"Do we have a time frame?" I asked. Carlisle turned to look at Alice who was shaking her head.

"I haven't seen anything yet, but again, I probably won't get too much since I haven't spent a lot of time with either Felix or Renata. But don't worry; I'll keep an eye out."

I felt a bit comforted knowing Alice would be watching out for us, but it still didn't negate the fact that the Volturi were coming after us. I figured the Volturi would come after me at some point, but I wasn't sure I was ready to face them. Then again, being a vampire meant I might actually stand a chance against them.

"We need to go," I heard Rosalie tell Emmett, her hand gripping his forearm.

"We're not going anywhere, Rose. I won't leave our family to deal with this alone," he told her, his voice leaving no argument.

"Yeah, well I don't feel like dying at the hands of the Volturi because of–"

"Oh, don't even go there, Barbie," I snapped. I was sick and fucking tired of her blaming me for everything that was wrong in her fucking life. "From the sounds of it, the Volturi have been after Edward and Jasper since long before I came into the picture. As far as I'm concerned, you can go fuck yourself. Save us all the annoying whining and just fucking leave."

Rosalie stood up fast and was in front of me in a matter of seconds. If she thought I was afraid of her, she had another thing coming. Not only was I not afraid of her, but I could and would kick her ass if it came down to it.

"It's all your fault," she hissed, staring daggers at me. "We were living under the radar, leading normal lives, and then you and that sister of yours ruined everything. If anyone's going to be leaving, it's going to be you."

"No one's going anywhere," Carlisle said. "What everyone is going to do, is sit down and be quiet."

Shooting each other glances, both Rosalie and I sat down in our respective spots and turned our attention back to Carlisle.

"We need to come up with a plan. If things go wrong and we need to separate, we'll regroup at the house in Vermont and go from there."

* * *

A week went by after Demetri's surprise visit and words of warning. He'd left and headed out on his own, claiming he'd be safer. I wasn't so sure. Alice hadn't seen anything yet, but she was on the constant look out, and it was taking a toll. I knew vampires couldn't really get headaches, but Alice certainly had whatever was close to one. She was annoyed that neither Felix nor Renata had made any decisions regarding us, and I could tell she felt a bit useless. When she wasn't keeping watch, the family, minus Rosalie, was teaching Alice and I how to fight vampire style.

I quickly learned that Edward was the fastest of anyone and most deadly because he could read his opponents minds. Alice was equally as deadly because she could predict what move they would be making. Watching Alice and Edward go at it was quite humorous since they kept canceling each other out. Emmett was super strong and surprisingly agile, and I enjoyed sparring with him. I found it quite funny how upset he'd get when he couldn't reach me because of my shield.

After a while we took a break, and that was when Rosalie, who had been scarce, made herself known. She and Edward had been arguing about her attitude, and he'd told her he was fed up with it. Done arguing with her, he turned his back on her, and that was a huge mistake. The second his back was turned, Rosalie went after him, and that was when I snapped. No one, and I mean no one, fucked with my man. Before I knew what was happening, my shield reached out and wrapped around Edward, instantly protecting him. Furious that she could no longer get to Edward, Rosalie turned her focus toward me. I knew, without a doubt, that she was going to try and rip me apart, and that I needed to shield myself.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on splitting my shield to make sure that both Edward and I were shielded from Rosalie. I knew if I unshielded Edward, Rosalie would go right back after him. Splitting my shield was extremely difficult, and for a moment, I was afraid it wouldn't work before Rosalie got to me. Thankfully, I was wrong. Seconds after I'd shielded myself, Rosalie came for me and got nowhere. She howled and growled and made every attempt to get me but was unable to. I couldn't contain the smirk I threw her way. Bitch couldn't touch me, and it was pissing her off something fierce. Again and again, she tried, and she failed every time.

Eventually, I grew tired of her rather pathetic display and focusing, I used my shield to push her away, but she came back swinging. Fed up and tired of Rosalie and her bullshit, my shield reached out and tossed her against a tree. The tree made a large cracking sound as she flew into it before falling to the ground with a shocked look on her face. She wasn't the only one who was shocked. I was as well. I hadn't realized that my shield had that kind of power. Neither had the others, judging by their faces. A few seconds of silence rang out before Emmett began to clap, and Alice started bouncing around with a grin on her face.

"Well done, Bella!" Carlisle called out, and I shot him a grin. I had to admit that I was pretty damned pleased with myself.

"Seriously? You're going to sit there and applaud her?" Rosalie snarled from the bottom of the tree where she still sat.

"Come on, babe, you have to admit that it was pretty impressive," Emmett said as he made his way over to her and helped her up. She dusted herself off, shot me another nasty glare, and stalked off into the woods with Emmett following behind her. As soon as they left, I found myself surrounded by the rest of them, and Edward wrapped me up in a hug, twirling us around.

"That was fucking awesome!" he said, sounding like Emmett and grinning when Esme gave him a look for swearing.

"That was really impressive, Bella. How did you manage to split your shield?" Carlisle asked, and I could see he had a ton of questions.

I shrugged in response to his question. "I'm not sure really. I just knew that if I wasn't able to cover both of us, she would go after whoever wasn't covered, and I couldn't allow that to happen."

"Was it difficult to split your shield?"

"It took a lot of focus, but I knew I had to do it," I explained as best as I could.

Carlisle nodded, looking deep in thought. "Do you think you could cover more than two people at a time?"

"I have a feeling we're going to find out, aren't we?"

Carlisle let out a laugh and gave me a smile. I knew I was going to be in for it, and I was right. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Carlisle, Esme, and Jasper going after Alice and Edward. I did my best to split my shield and guard them both, but I didn't seem able to at first. It was only after Jasper hit them both with fear and they were cowering on the ground that I was able to split my shield. I knew that Jasper wasn't really trying to hurt them, but I got so fucking angry seeing them so scared that my shield reached out and wrapped around them. At the same time, my shield pushed Jasper away and just kept pushing until he was in the woods. Once Alice and Edward were inside my shield and Jasper was far enough away, I was able to relax.

"It seems that your anger is the key to controlling your shield," Carlisle said a few minutes later. Jasper nodded in agreement as he walked up to us.

"It seems to me that you weren't able to split your shield until I used fear against them, and before that, when Rose tried to attack Edward," Jasper said. "That can be very useful in a fight, if or when it comes to that. However, I think you need to try and learn to split your shield without using your anger."

"Yeah, well we tried that, and it didn't work so well," I told him.

"Practice makes perfect," he told me with a smile, patting me on the shoulder. I rolled my eyes at him, but agreed. Someday, I might be in a situation where I needed to shield all of us without losing my temper.

However, I was ready to call it a day. My thirst was beginning to rage, and all I wanted to do was relax and have some fun. As if he'd read my mind, Edward suggested that the two of us go hunting and then watch a movie. I looked to Carlisle for permission, and he granted it with a smile.

"Go. You worked hard today. I'm real proud of you," he said, and I felt a wave of fatherly love. It had been a long time since I'd had any kind of fatherly approval. Even when Dad had been alive, he hadn't been one to express his emotions or tell you you'd done well. I guess that was where I'd gotten my attitude.

Grasping Edward's hand, we took off into the woods in the opposite direction that Emmett and Rosalie had gone. They still hadn't come back, and Edward told me they'd gone up north to Canada to hunt and to give Rosalie time to cool down. That woman owed me an apology, and she really needed to get her anger under control. You'd think she was the newborn with the way she was acting.

We'd run for about thirty miles when I smelled it. It smelled different than the deer we usually hunted, and whatever it was, I wanted it desperately.

"What is that?"

"Mountain lion," Edward said with an almost feral grin on his face. "Go for it, baby."

I took off running until I spotted it crouched on a rock snarling and ready to attack. I slowed down and moved closer, never breaking eye contact with the growling animal. The beast's ears went flat, it opened its mouth, showing its teeth, and let out a yowl before it began swiping the air with its claws; his claws were no match for my hardened skin. I made my leap and latched onto the large cat's neck, my teeth sinking into the animal's flesh. It desperately tried to fight back before going limp and the blood poured into my mouth.

Satisfied, I sat back, wiped the blood from around my mouth, and looked around for Edward. I didn't see him, but I could smell him and hear him. After burying my kill, I made my way toward where Edward was. I found him crouched over his own kill, and as soon as our eyes met, I wanted him. Desperately.

In the blink of an eye, we were on each other. Clothes were torn off; fingers, lips, and tongues were everywhere. Quickly, the air was filled with growls and moans as we rolled across the forest floor. Our mating was feral at best, and it was beyond fucking amazing. Finally sated, Edward lay on his back with me curled up next to him.

"Well, that was—" I began.

"Yeah," Edward agreed, his eyes closed and a cocky smile on his lips. "The carnivorous blood tends to bring out the more wilder side of us."

"I'll say," I said, pressing a kiss to his chest.

We lay there for a while until it began to rain. Quickly, we dressed in our torn clothes and began the run home. We had just stepped onto the back porch when Alice came out with some towels and clean clothes.

"Esme said if you get dirt on her freshly cleaned floors, you'll be sorry," Alice told us with a grin.

Edward handed me the towels and clothes before picking me up. I let out a squeal as he took off running toward the garage. Once inside, Edward carried me into a small bathroom equipped with a shower. Flashing me a grin, Edward stripped his wet clothes off and did the same to mine.

I looked down and saw his cock was hard, and I couldn't resist taking it into my hands and stroking it. There was something powerful about holding a man's cock in your hands, empowering even, knowing that you were the one who caused him to be hard and ready. As I stroked and squeezed, Edward threw his head back, closed his eyes, and let out a low moan. It wasn't enough. I needed more.

Dropping to my knees, I leaned forward and placed nibbling kisses across his thighs before moving to the beautiful cock in front of me. Grasping it in one hand, I began to place gentle kisses along his length, enjoying the sounds that were coming from Edward's mouth.

"Stop teasing, baby," he said, wrapping his hands in my hair. Placing a kiss on the tip of his cock, I opened my mouth and let him slide in. I let out a groan at his taste and began to glide my lips up and down his cock. Edward's hands tightened in my hair, guiding my head while I began to pump the rest of him that wouldn't fit in my mouth. Soon, his thrusts became erratic and harder as he fucked my mouth. The sounds he made had me dripping wet. With one final thrust into my mouth, he let go, and I swallowed everything he gave.

"Come here," he demanded, pulling me off of him and slamming his mouth onto mine.

While our tongues were dueling for dominance, Edward managed to turn the shower on and drag us both into it. It didn't matter that I'd just had him. I fucking wanted him again.

As soon as we were in the shower, Edward picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. In one smooth thrust, he slid home, and we both let out a groan. It was ridiculous how much I seemed to always want him. He'd explained to me that vampires were extremely sexual creatures, and it would be like this for quite some time. I wasn't complaining.

"So. Fucking. Good," he grunted as he thrust faster and harder, and my hips reached up to meet his. My legs gripped his hips tightly, and I let out a moan as one of his hands found its way between our bodies, and his fingers began to play with my clit. All it took was one pinch, and I was done for. I screamed out his name as I came. Pulling back a little bit, he shot me a cocky grin before resuming his punishing pace, punding into my pussy. A few thrusts later, Edward was coming and groaning out my name.

Afterward, we showered and got dressed, and I could hear Alice and Emmett arguing about what movie to watch as we made our way toward the house. Alice wanted something funny while Emmett wanted an action flick. I had a feeling Alice would win. She usually did. She might be tiny, but she was a force to be reckoned with and usually got her way. I had a feeling Jasper never told her "no".

"Just give it up, already," Alice was saying. "We already know that I'm going to win."

"I don't know that," Emmett said back.

"Well, I do because I've seen it," she told him, and we entered the living room in time to see her sticking her tongue out at him.

"She's right, you know," Edward told Emmett as he plopped down on the loveseat and pulled me into his lap.

"And just where have you been?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Busy," was my reply. Emmett let out a laugh as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. I rolled my eyes at him. He was such a big kid.

I sat on Edward's lap and listened as Alice and Emmett continued their argument until they finally settled on watching _Without a Paddle_. It was a great movie, and I found myself fully relaxing for the first time in a week. I was so tired of training and learning how to use my shield, but I knew it was important. Victoria and the Volturi were after us. A fucking war was coming, and I hated not knowing when or where it was going to happen. Alice had been keeping an eye out, but so far, she hadn't seen anything.

After the movie was over, Emmett asked if he could speak with me. I shrugged, not seeing why not, but I noticed Edward frown.

"Em—"

"Ed, man. Please."

I didn't understand their cryptic conversation, but Edward nodded. Alice gave me a small smile. Apparently, they all knew what Emmett wanted to talk about. Getting up off Edward's lap, I followed Emmett outside to Esme's garden where I found Rosalie glaring at the ground. I shot Emmett a look. I wasn't in the mood to deal with Ms. Bullshit.

"Rosalie has something she'd like to say," Emmett told me, taking a seat on the stone bench in the garden. _Oh, I just bet she did._

Rosalie mumbled something, and even though I could hear her perfectly, I cupped a hand to my ear.

"I'm sorry, what was that?"

She shot me a nasty look before looking at Emmett. Emmett stared right back at her, and she heaved a sigh. "I said I'm sorry."

"For what exactly?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. I was definitely enjoying her discomfort. She glowered, and I stared back at her.

"For being a bitch," she said through gritted teeth. It was obvious to me that Emmett had put her up to this, and that she didn't mean a word she was saying.

"If I thought for a second that you actually meant it, I'd forgive you, but it seems to me that you don't really mean it."

Her fists clenched at her sides as she took a deep breath. "I don't like you, but Edward loves you as does the rest of the family. As Emmett has pointed out to me on several occasions, you're here to stay, and that's not going to change no matter how much I hate it. I realize that with a war coming we need to be a united front, and my being a bitch is causing problems."

She stopped for a moment to gather her thoughts, and I realized this was the most I'd ever heard her talk without bitching about something.

"So, I'm sorry for being a bitch and getting up in your face about things. I'm sorry about the whole Tanya situation as well. I honestly didn't know she was working closely with Victoria. So, I'll try to do better and not be as bitchy. But don't think that this makes us friends."

I couldn't help but let out a laugh at her last few words. "Yeah, you so don't have to worry about that. You and I will never be friends, but you're right. With this war coming we need to present a united front. I'll put aside my dislike of you, so we can try and win this thing. After the war is over, we can go back to the way things were. Just remember that I can kick your ass, and you can't touch mine."

She gave me a nod, looked over to Emmett who was sitting there with an amused smile on his lips, and he gave her a smile.

"Thank fuck that's over with," she mumbled as she walked away from me and over to Em. He pulled her down onto his lap and whispered something in her ear. Whatever it was, it caused her to give him a smile.

Deciding to leave them alone, I headed back into the house and found Edward upstairs in what had become our room. He was sprawled out on his bed, feet dangling off, and earbuds in his ears. He looked so fucking cute.

"What?" he asked, never opening his eyes as I leaned against the doorjamb and stared at him.

"Nothing."

"So, how did your talk with Rose go?" he asked, and I walked over to join him on the bed. I flopped down next to him and laid my head on his shoulder.

"It was okay. We both agreed that we'll never be friends, and she apologized for being such a bitch. I think Emmett finally managed to talk some sense into her."

"He did. He told her that you weren't the enemy, and she should be focusing all of her anger and rage at Victoria and the Volturi," he said, his fingers reaching up to play with a strand of hair that had fallen loose from my braid.

"I'm sort of surprised she listened."

"They had a huge fight, and he told her he was sick of her attitude. He pretty much told her he wouldn't speak to her until she began to act civil. The thing about Rose is that, despite the fact that she can be a major bitch, she's fiercely loyal."

I nodded against his shoulder. "That's good. God, I just wish someone would make a fucking decision, so we can get this shit over with."

"I know, babe. I feel the same," he said, leaning over me and pressing a kiss to my lips. We'd discussed going off on our own for a while if we survived the oncoming war. We wanted time to live together as a couple without the others. Edward told me the family would be fine with it. They'd all done it more than once, and seeing as how we were newly mated, it was expected. Chances were good that Alice and Jasper would do the same.

The next couple of days passed by without incident, and Rosalie and I were coldly polite if we had to speak to each other. For the most part, we just ignored each other, and it seemed to work just fine. I was sitting on the couch with Edward's laptop checking in and making inquiries to some of the hunters I knew regarding Victoria or Felix. It wasn't just about keeping up appearances because it might also help us. I'd just finished up an email to an old friend of Jensen's named Jim Otter when Alice let out a gasp, and she dropped the nail polish she had in her hand. Bright red paint spilled all over the floor, but no one cared.

"Alice?" Jasper asked, putting an arm around her.

"Victoria!"

* * *

**a/n: Dun, dun, dun. Lol. Leave me a note letting me know what you thought, and I'll see you next Friday!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: No, I wasn't participating the in the "boycott" of FF yesterday. I was taking a nap and lost track of time. I'm a 3rd shifter, so my afternoons are my nights, and my nights are my mornings. Anyway, I've decided that my posting schedule is going to be more along the lines of late Friday nights/early Saturday mornings. I'll my best to get them up on Friday nights, but it might not always be possible. Anyway, I want to thank you all for your reviews! I'm an epic fail at responding but please know that they are read and appreciated. Big thanks to my betas, Gigi Scott and gatorgrl91, for their amazing help.**

* * *

The laptop that had been in my lap began to fall to the floor at Alice's words, but Edward quickly caught it.

"Victoria's coming, and she's not alone," Alice told us, her face screwed up in concentration.

"Volturi?" Carlisle asked, and Alice shook her head.

"No. She's bringing a few newborns who apparently escaped during our attack. They made their way back to her. She is beyond furious at us, and she's made the decision to burn the house down with us in it."

"The hell she will," I snarled. I'd find a way to shield the entire house if it came down to it.

"When will she be here?" Esme asked Alice as Jasper sent a wave of calm throughout the room.

"In two days. They'll come in through the woods, most likely, throw gasoline on the house, and then torch the it."

"We'll be ready for them," Carlisle said. "Bella, you're going to have to do your best to shield as many of us as you can."

I nodded. I knew I was going to be spending the next forty-eight hours practicing on splitting my shield, but I was ready. I refused to lose a member of my family to pyscho bitch.

Once we'd all settled down after Alice's news, I found myself feeling a bit relieved that we now had a time frame. It had been scarier not knowing when Victoria was going to strike, but now that we knew, we could prepare for battle against her. The bitch was fucking going down. I'd make sure of it.

Looking around the living room, I took it all in. Rose was painting her nails, Emmett was watching some crime show and muttering softly to himself, and Jasper and Edward were talking quietly while Alice flipped through the pages of a magazine. As we sat there, I slid my shield over Edward and focused on splitting it and shielding Jasper who was sitting on the floor near Alice. Immediately, his head came up, and he gave me a smile. I smiled back before returning my focus to splitting my shield. I attempted to slide my shield over to include Alice. It waivered for a moment before settling over her. I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Closing my eyes and praying it worked, I attempted to slide my shield over Carlisle as well. My shield wrapped around him for a second before bouncing back, and I let out a growl since it hadn't worked.

"What's wrong, baby?" Edward asked.

"Nothing."

He raised an eyebrow at me, and I let out a sigh. "I'm working on splitting my shield. I figured I might as well practice while we sit around and watch TV. I was able to get you, Jasper, and Alice under my shield, but when I attempted to put Carlisle under it, my shield snapped back. So right now, three is my max, and that doesn't include me."

"You have to make sure you're covered, Bella. That's extremely important," Carlisle said from nearby. I nodded, knowing he was right. It wouldn't do anyone any good if I got caught. If I went, so did my shield, leaving everyone vulnerable.

For the next two days, no matter what we were doing, I was practicing with my shield. I had gotten to the point where I could shield five people at a time, including myself. It was better than nothing, but I still wasn't satisfied. Then, Edward told me that he would need to be able to hear what Victoria and the two newborns with her were thinking, and he couldn't be under my shield in order to do that.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to let you walk out there without any protection," I protested hotly. If he thought for one second I was just going to let him near Victoria unprotected, he had another thing coming.

"Babe, I have to be able to hear them. Carlisle wants to attempt to reason with her once more. I will let you know the minute I need your shield. Okay?" he asked, cupping my cheek in his hand.

I heaved a sigh, knowing he was right, but hating it. I couldn't have anything happen to him. In a short amount of time, he'd become my everything, and I needed him to survive this encounter, no matter what.

"Fine, but if I think or feel something isn't right, I'll shield you so fast you won't know what hit you," I told him.

He let out a snort. "I won't feel it either way."

I rolled my eyes at him before going back to practicing. We had a few hours to kill before Victoria showed up, and we were all on pins and needles. Emmett and Jasper had immersed themselves in some zombie video game, Edward was playing chess with Carlisle, Alice was flipping through a fashion magazine, Esme was cleaning, and Rosalie was pacing. It was her pacing that was really beginning to bug me, but I kept my mouth shut. Now was not the time to start an argument with her.

At quarter to three, Alice stood up and told us it was time. Making sure my shield was in place around me, I followed the others out to the backyard. Despite having newborn strength as a weapon, I'd also grabbed my flamethrower. Granted, I was a lot more nervous carrying it now than I ever had been before. The last thing I wanted to do was accidentally set myself on fire. I had a feeling if I did that and survived, I'd never hear the end of it, especially from Emmett.

"Hello, Victoria," Carlisle said as she and two others broke through the trees. Shock crossed their faces. Obviously, they hadn't been expecting us to be waiting them. Although, she should have realized that without Renata to shield her, Alice would be able to see her every decision. Or perhaps, Victoria hadn't figured out Alice's gift.

"Carlisle," she said in a frosty tone before exchanging a look with the young man with her. In his hands was a gasoline container, and I knew we had to get that away from him. Carefully, I split my shield making sure that I was still covered as well as Carlisle. I couldn't have anything happen to him either. I'd already lost one father; I didn't want to lose another. While Carlisle began to engage Victoria in negotiations, I slowly made my way toward one of the newborns. At the moment, I was wishing I'd been gifted with the talent of invisibility. From the corner of my eye, I saw Alice shake her head, so I stopped where I was.

"I'm going to give you a choice, Victoria," Carlisle said. "You can either surrender yourself to us, or we can kill you. I'd prefer not to have to kill you."

She let out a laugh that had a touch of mania behind it. She had truly lost her shit. She began ranting and raving about how she could and would do whatever she wanted. After all, the Volturi were on her side.

"Are they?" Edward asked, interrupting her. "Think about it, Victoria. I'm sure Felix and Renata are making themselves out to be the victims, and you're the reason to blame as to why Aro doesn't have me or Jasper."

It was plain to see that she hadn't thought about that. Fear rose on her face, and I saw Jasper give me a small nod before Victoria and her two companions began to cower. Jasper was using her fear against her. Focusing as hard as I could, I did my best to shield all of us from it. I got everyone under my shield but Jasper, but he mouthed that he was okay. In a way, it was almost humorous watching Victoria fall to the ground on her knees, sobs keening from her throat.

"So, what's it going to be?" Carlisle asked. "Should we hand you over to the Volturi, or will you surrender to us?"

With a howl, she managed to get to her feet, and she threw herself at Carlisle only to bounce off of my shield. Realizing she couldn't get to him, she went after Jasper and managed to knock him to the ground. Alice let out a feral growl and leaped on top of Victoria, grabbing her by her hair and yanking her off Jasper. Fists were flying, and legs were lashing out between the two of them. I ran toward them and grabbed one of Victoria's arms while Alice grabbed the other, and together, we yanked her arms off. There wasn't much she could do without her arms except scream and curse.

Both Alice and I tossed her arms over to Emmett who gave a grin before he lit them on fire. There would be no reattaching them now. Then with one twist to her head, Victoria was done. Emmett lit up what was left of her. Looking around, now that my main threat was gone, I saw Edward and Rosalie standing over a pile of smoldering ashes and Esme and Carlisle over another.

I had to admit, I was a bit let down by the lack of fight that Victoria had put up. It had been too easy. It was almost as if it had been a setup, and we were supposed to let our guard down now that she was gone. I wasn't the only one thinking along those lines. Jasper said pretty much the same thing. It was as if Victoria had been sacrificed.

"She probably was. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Aro had told her to come after us, knowing we would take her out. This way, she's no longer a problem for him, and he didn't have to get his hands dirty," Carlisle said as he swept up the ashes that littered the lawn and threw them into a garbage bag.

"Will they still come after us now that she's gone?" I asked.

Carlisle nodded. "Probably. We attacked Felix and Renata, so Aro will see that as an attack against him personally. I have no doubt the Volturi will show; at least Aro will. He will make subtle threats, and then he'll make an offer to leave us alone if Edward and Jasper go with him. We'll tell him no, and then he'll declare war upon us."

"How many times have you had to fight him?" I asked.

"Thankfully, it rarely ever comes to a fight. Normally, I'm able to talk some sense into Aro, but this time, I might not be able to. We attacked his guard, and he will take great offence to that."

"Great," I muttered, not at all encouraged by what I was hearing. "Who will come with him?"

Carlisle put the bag into the garbage can and took a seat on the bench near the garden. I followed suit and sat next to him. I wanted as much ammunition against the Volturi as I could get.

"Renata always comes with him. She's his personal shield and bodyguard. Chances are, his brothers will arrive as well. Marcus is able to see the bonds between people, and he will point those out to Chelsea who will then try to break them. Alec and Jane might come too."

"I fucking hate that bitch," Edward muttered, but Esme heard him and told him to watch his language. It cracked me up that she was constantly warning all of us kids not to swear. She truly was a mom.

"Yes, Jane is something else," Carlisle agreed. "She has the ability to induce a crippling, yet illusionary pain. The recipient of her talent will feel like they are in unimaginable pain. Just remember, she isn't actually hurting anyone. Her twin brother, Alec, possesses the gift of sensory deprivation. In other words, he can cut off all of your senses at once, leaving you blind and deaf. Even worse, he can affect a large group at one time. We'll have to be on the lookout if they arrive with Aro."

_Well, fuck_. My job just got a lot harder. I had no idea if my shield would work against Jane, Alec, or Chelsea, but I would give it my best shot.

* * *

Three weeks after the demise of Victoria and the newborns she'd brought with her, Alice got a vision. Aro would be heading to Forks with Renata, Jane, and Alec. Alice couldn't see the details of their plan and only knew they would be arriving in Forks soon.

What I knew about the Volturi wasn't pretty, and I was fairly certain they weren't coming for a friendly visit. The fact that the Cullens were extremely nervous about Aro's impending visit didn't help to calm my own nerves. If anything, it made them worse. I'd been busy working with my shield to the point of exhaustion or as exhausted as a vampire could get, I'd taken to hunting twice as much as normal. Using my shield so much drained the energy from me.

"We're going to be okay," Edward whispered in my ear before placing a kiss right below it. While I appreciated his words, I didn't believe them. He had no way of knowing that we would be okay, and Alice couldn't see the outcome of our impending battle. There were too many variables.

"Alice? Bella? I want you two to be extremely cautious. Once Aro realizes that you both have talents, he's going to want you to join him," Carlisle warned. We both nodded. We knew.

"How's your shield coming along?" Carlisle asked a few minutes later.

"Pretty good," I said with a bit of confidence. I was doing much better, and I think the fear of the Volturi was helping me along. Fear and anger made me want to protect the Cullens who had become my family over the past months. Even Rosalie. She was the evil stepsister, but even the evil step-sister needed to be rescued once in a while. Besides, I loved Emmett too much to allow something bad to happen to Rosalie. The man truly loved her, although I still couldn't figure out why, but hey, to each their own.

A week later, early on a Tuesday morning, Alice told us it was time. Aro and his guard had arrived and would be crossing over onto our land within the hour. The fear I felt was almost overwhelming, but I had to remind myself that I'd been in worse situations and survived just fine. If I could take on vampires as a human, I could take on Aro and his guard as a vampire. Did I want to fight him? No, but I would if it meant keeping the family safe, and I was sure the others felt the same.

At Alice's words, Carlisle nodded and stood up. Taking Esme's hand in his, he headed out back, and the rest of us followed suit. I clasped Edward's hand tightly and did my best not to let my fear show. Of course, there was no fooling Jasper. He reached over and gave my shoulder a squeeze and told me to take a few deep breaths before shooting a calm wave over me. I nodded my thanks and did as he'd suggested. A few deep breaths later, I was still terrified but knew this had to happen. The Denalis had been called and were on their way, although I wasn't sure if they'd make it in time or not. We didn't have too many other allies, and I wasn't about to involve any of the hunters in this. Sure, it would be one hell of a notch on their belts if they managed to take down a member of the Volturi or their guards, but I couldn't risk it. I was afraid if human blood was spilled, I'd lose my fucking mind and go after it.

The sound of rustling leaves had me looking toward the woods, and out strode four vampires. At the front was a man I could only assume was Aro. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, was wearing a robe, and had long, black hair hanging down his back. His red eyes had a milky look to them, and I grimaced when he broke into a smile upon seeing us. The man was unsettling, to say the least.

"Ah, Carlisle, my old friend, how are you?" Aro asked, pulling him into a hug. I knew that Carlisle had once been a member of the Volturi and good friends with Aro, but Carlisle's lifestyle had led to tension amongst the group, and he'd left.

"I'm doing fine, Aro. And you?" Carlisle asked, taking Aro's hand and letting Aro read his mind.

"I'm fine. I see you have acquired some new members since I last saw you," Aro said, letting go of Carlisle's hand.

"Yes. Alice and Bella, this is Aro. Aro, this is Alice, Jasper's mate and Bella, Edward's mate," Carlisle explained.

"How lovely," Aro said, giving us each a nod and a smile. I was relieved he didn't want to shake my hand. "These are a few members of my guard: Renata, Jane, and Alec."

Alice and I nodded in their direction, but neither of us failed to notice the looks they shot us. Renata, in particular, shot us a nasty look.

"It seems we have quite a bit to talk about. Shall we?" Aro asked, and Carlisle nodded. I was unsure how well this talk was going to go, so I quickly shielded everyone, except Edward, per his request. I kept a close eye on Edward as he moved closer to where Carlisle and Aro stood. Immediately, Aro held out his hand, and Edward took it. I hated that he wasn't covered under my shield, but I had to trust him to let me know when he needed my help. I watched as Edward looked over to Jane, Alec, and Renata who were watching every move Aro made.

"Renata has come to me with quite the story," Aro began, and I could only imagine what she had told him. "She told me that your family attacked her when she was in Seattle finishing up some business for me."

Calmly, Carlisle began to speak. "Renata was only attacked after provoking my family when she, Felix, and Victoria came after us."

Aro turned and looked at Renata who was now glaring at Carlisle. "May I?" Aro asked.

Carlisle nodded and allowed Aro to take his hand again, and I knew that Carlisle was showing him everything that had happened in the warehouse. While that was going on, I noticed Renata whispering to Jane and Alec, and Edward gave me a small nod. Immediately, I slid my shield over him and almost sighed with relief when he was safely guarded. Jane and Alec turned to face us, and as they continued to stare at us, I noticed Jane becoming more and more frustrated. I couldn't help but shoot her a smirk, which, only seemed to anger her. Her face was screwed up with concentration as she seemed to push more and more of her power upon us. I could actually feel it trying to penetrate the shield around us, but I held strong.

"Aro?" Edward asked. "Could you please ask Jane to behave?"

Aro turned away from Carlisle and looked at Jane, a frown on his face. "Jane. Peace, please. They have done nothing to harm you. I'll let you know if your services are needed."

Staring at him in disbelief, Jane stepped back with Alec, and I felt the pressure on my shield drop. Judging from the look on her face, I had a feeling she wasn't used to being told to behave. Carlisle had told me how Jane and Alec were two of the most powerful vampires out there, and they had helped Aro take out the Romanian vampires who had once ruled the vampire world. A scary thought considering they looked like innocent children. I had to admit, I'd been a bit startled to see two pre-teens come out of the woods. They couldn't have been more than twelve or thirteen.

"Thank you, Carlisle," Aro said after a few minutes. He then proceeded to read Edward's and Esme's thoughts before coming to a stop in front of me.

"May I?" he asked politely, and I had a feeling you didn't say no to him. Taking a deep breath, I lowered my shield and allowed Aro to take my hand. He stared into my eyes as he read my thoughts regarding the Victoria incident. Granted, not all of it was clear, because I didn't remember much of anything after I'd been bitten.

He frowned as he stared at me, and finally he let go of my hand. "I'm sorry you had to be changed that way. Victoria has been quite the problem lately."

Turning away from me, he then moved on to Alice, and then the rest of the family. All the while, his guard was growing increasingly agitated, especially Renata. I'd seen vampires stand still and not so much as twitch for hours on end, but Renata was pacing around like a caged animal. She kept shooting glances at Aro and twisting her hands together. I think she knew her days were numbered. After finishing with Rosalie, Aro walked back toward Carlisle and stopped in front of him.

"I'm afraid I owe you an apology, old friend. It seems my guard has lied to me," he said, his voice deadly calm. "I sent Renata and Felix to Seattle to take care of Victoria and her newborn army. She was creating too much attention to our kind, and she needed to be eliminated. However, it seems you and I were both deceived. This will be taken care of. I assure you of that."

He looked over at Renata, and fear was written all over her face. I didn't think he'd get rid of her seeing as how she was his personal bodyguard, but then again, he was furious that he'd been lied to.

"I must say, you have an amazing family, Carlisle, and quite a talented one at that. I'm going to assume that if I ask any of you to join me that the answer will be no?"

Edward and Jasper nodded as did Alice and I because the jig was up on our talents. He'd seen them in our thoughts and memories.

"Ah, well that's a shame, but I figured you'd say no. Although, I can't say my brothers would have been thrilled to have former hunters joining our ranks."

Alice and I shared a look of shock. There had been nothing in my thoughts about being a hunter. I'd purposely not thought about it, and I was positive Alice had done the same.

Aro let out a quiet laugh. "I know all about you Swans. You're a formidable bunch," he said. "Your family has kept the vampire community on its toes for decades."

I'd thought for sure Aro would destroy us if he found out that we were Charlie Swan's daughters, but he hadn't. He must have seen the confusion on my face.

"Relax, Isabella. I'm not going to harm you or Alice for something your father did. Yes, I know all about Marcus killing your mother, and Charles Swan killing my sister in retaliation. Am I upset? No. Didyme was becoming a threat to our way of life, and if your father hadn't killed her, I would have."

I stared at him shock. Did he really just say that he would have killed his own sister because she was threatening their way of life? Alice looked to be just as shocked as I was. Shaking my head, I asked Aro a question that had been bugging me since I'd found out.

"Do you know why Marcus killed our mother?"

Aro shook his head. "No. Marcus never told me, and I never questioned him about it," he said, but I was positive he was lying. He knew something about our mother's murder.

With another handshake for Carlisle, Aro reigned in his guards, grabbed hold of Renata's arm, and headed back into the woods. I had to say, things had gone a lot better than I thought they would, and no blood had been shed. It was funny because I'd built Aro up to be this huge, powerful being that was going to scare the shit out of me. And while he had scared me, he wasn't nearly as scary as I thought he'd be. Then again, maybe that's what he wanted me to think.

The second the group disappeared into the trees, we all let out a collective sigh. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off our shoulders. I watched as Esme threw her arms around Carlisle and buried her face in his chest while his arms wrapped tightly around her, and he pressed kisses to her head.

"I have to say I'm relieved it went so well," Carlisle said, looking over Esme's head at the rest of us. We all nodded in agreement.

"How come Renata was able to lie to Aro?" I asked as Edward wrapped his arms around me.

"Aro has trusted Renata for years and didn't feel the need to read her thoughts. I have a feeling that's all about to change though," Carlisle responded. "And Renata probably vouched for Felix, and since Aro has always trusted Renata, there was no reason for him not to believe her."

"I have a feeling there's going to be some major changes in Volterra," Edward said quietly, and Carlisle nodded in agreement.

"Most likely. I'm just relieved that Aro was willing to talk before attacking. If Caius had come, we'd all be dead."

Now that the Volturi were no longer after us and things had been settled, I hoped that we could settle into our lives.

* * *

Four months later, Edward and I were living on our own in Canada. It had been a nice reprieve, being away from the family and settling into our mated life. I was on the couch, thinking about things when my phone rang, interrupting my thoughts.

"Hey, Jensen. What's up?" I asked as I answered the phone, plopping down on the couch and staring out the window.

"Nothing good," his rough voice rumbled. "Samuel Allison is beginning to suspect something has happened to you."

_Fuck!_ That was the last thing we needed. Samuel Allison was one hell of a hunter, but if he found out Alice and I were vamps, he'd hunt us to the ends of the earth. He was ruthless and would have no problem killing his own mother if she became a vamp. Hell, I think he had.

"Why does he think something's happened to us?" I asked after taking a deep breath.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because no one has seen Alice or you in six months. Apparently, Samuel stopped by Riley's a while back asking if he'd heard from you, and Riley said he hadn't. Now, Samuel's convinced something's happened to y'all. You need to be careful," Jensen warned.

"We'll be fine," I told him, doing my best to ease his fears before hanging up. Samuel Allison was a complication that we didn't need. I rubbed my temple before tossing the phone on the coffee table and slouching back on the couch. Things had been going fairly well, so I should have known that something was going to fuck that up.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked as he walked through the front door. His eyes were a bright amber, and I knew he'd gone hunting while he was out.

"Jensen called and told me that Samuel Allison (he's a hunter) is getting suspicious because he hasn't seen Alice and me," I spat out. "I talked to the guy a month ago to keep up appearances, but apparently it did no good. Fuck! Things have been going so fucking well, and now this!"

"Hey," Edward said, sitting down next to me and pulling me onto his lap. "We'll deal with this Allison guy if we have to, okay? You know Alice is always on the lookout, and she'll let us know if anything comes of this. Please, don't stress over it."

I nodded, leaning into him and just taking him in. He always had a way of making things better, and I loved him so fucking much. We'd been living on our own in a small cabin, and it was wonderful. I loved having the privacy that I craved so much. As much as I enjoyed spending time with the family, and yes, they had become family, I enjoyed living alone with Edward even more. I didn't have to worry about someone hearing me scream his name or worry that someone would see us going at it. We were free to just be us, and honestly, we needed that time. Being a newborn, gaining a mate, and surviving an impending war were enough to cause a mental breakdown, and I'd had a few meltdowns over the past few months.

"I can practically hear you thinking," he said softly, his fingers running through my hair. "Please don't worry. Alice will call if she sees something."

I knew he was right, but I couldn't help but worry. I didn't want to hurt Samuel, but I would if it came down to it. If he attacked my family, it would be the last thing he ever did. I would make sure of it.

"You need to hunt," Edward said, interrupting my thoughts. He was right. I tended to be grumpier when I hadn't fed in a while. Nodding, I stood up and headed out the door and into the neighboring woods.

It didn't take me long to take down several deer and a moose. Sitting back on my haunches, I took a moment to gather my thoughts. Edward was right. Alice would call if Samuel made the decision to find me, and we would deal with it. Standing up, I dusted the dirt from my jeans and made my way back to the cabin.

"Better, babe?" Edward asked once I was inside.

"Yeah," I said, walking over to him and staring at him for a moment. God, he was so fucking hot, and I occasionally had a hard time believing he was mine forever.

"What?" he asked, looking down at himself. "Do I have something on me?"

I shook my head, unable to explain my feelings, so I did what I could. I showed him what I was feeling. In a flash, I was wrapped around him, my lips on his. He caught on quickly and hoisted me up so that my legs wrapped around his waist before he carried me to the bedroom. He tossed me lightly onto the bed, and I grinned when I spotted the bent metal frame of the headboard. We had a tendency to lose control during sex, and there was nothing hotter than seeing the proof. Following my gaze, a sexy smirk came over Edward's face.

"Let's see if we can't break it this time," he said before bringing his lips back to mine.

* * *

"I need to call Alice and let her know about Samuel," I told Edward, several hours later. We were laying on what was left of our bed, having succeeded in breaking the damn thing.

"I'm sure she already knows," he said, his arms crossed over his head and his naked body laid out splendidly in front of me. I couldn't resist leaning over and running a hand down his chest and cupping his renewed arousal. Vampire recovery time was fucking amazing.

"Jesus, woman," Edward growled, his hand covering mine, helping me stroke him. Leaning over him, I pressed kisses to his torso, slowly making my way down toward our hands.

"Hell, yes!" he hissed, once I took him in my mouth. He'd let go of my hand, but I continued to stroke and squeeze him as I pleasured him with my lips and tongue. I loved the noises he made and the way his hands fisted in my hair, holding me close so he could fuck my mouth. It didn't take long until he came, his essence pouring down my throat. I sat back with a wicked grin, feeling incredibly smug. There was nothing more satisfying than reducing Edward to nothing.

"Come here," he said, holding his arms out toward me. I crawled up his body, moaning with delight as his hands began to caress me. He'd just rolled me over when suddenly the most delicious smell permeated the cabin, causing the venom to pool in my mouth. Whatever it was, I fucking needed it, and nothing would stop me from getting it. Shoving Edward off of me, I ran toward the cabin door and bolted out of it, Edward hollering after me.

I headed deep into the woods following the mouthwatering aroma until I found it. There setting up a tent, was a young man, no more than twenty yeas of age. I could hear the blood rushing through his veins and the smell…God, the smell was too fucking much. The man's blood called out to me, and all reasoning and rational thinking left me. My only focus was on the blood pumping beneath the surface of his pale skin.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the wonderful fragrance, and began to stalk my prey. The man would never see me coming. I quietly moved through the trees, enjoying the one-sided game of cat and mouse, watching his every move, and getting ready to make my own. Just as I was about to leap forward, strong arms pulled me back, and an animalistic growl ripped from my throat.

"Please, Bella," Edward's voice whispered in my ear. "You don't want to do this. He's a boy. Someone's son or brother. You don't want to hurt him."

I struggled against the iron-tight arms surrounding me, my need to feed fighting my conscience, but Edward never let up. With me still in his arms and still fighting him, he ran back the way he'd come, and I frowned as I saw him pass the cabin. The further Edward ran, the more the delicious smell dissipated until I was once again feeling normal. Realizing that I'd come to my senses, Edward sat me down on a moss-covered rock.

"Better?" he asked, his hands running down my arms.

I nodded before burying my face against his chest. I couldn't believe what I'd almost done. I'd had a close call or two before, but nothing like this. The poor boy had been mere seconds away from being my dinner.

"It's okay," Edward murmured against the top of my head, but he was wrong. It wasn't okay.

"He smelled so good. I couldn't stop myself, Edward!" I moaned in shame.

"I know, babe. He's what we call a singer; a person whose blood sings to one specific vampire," he explained. "Once you smell your singer, it's almost impossible to stop. All caution is thrown to the wind."

"Apparently," I muttered before pulling away from Edward. It was only then that I realized I was completely naked.

"Holy shit! I don't have any fucking clothes on! Edward! I almost killed that kid while I was naked!"

Looking down at me, Edward started laughing, long and hard, and I couldn't figure out what was so fucking funny. I'd almost killed someone; it wasn't a laughing matter.

"What the hell is so funny?" I snarled before grasping Edward's shirt and yanking it over his head.

"Nothing," he chuckled as I put his shirt on to cover up my nakedness. Scowling at him, I began to head in the direction of the cabin, but Edward shook his head.

"Best not tempt fate. Let's wait until the boy leaves before we head back to the cabin."

Sighing, I followed Edward as he wound his way through the woods. I wasn't particularly comfortable wandering around in nothing but a shirt, but then again, I'd been running around naked like a bloodthirsty woodland nymph not that long ago.

"We can stay there for a night or two," Edward said, pointing toward a small cave near a river. I wasn't one for caves, but I agreed.

Before long, we were settled in the damp cave, and I was listening to Edward as he told Emmett all about my almost murderous escapade. How he had cell service out here was beyond me, but he did, and Emmett had called after hearing the story from Alice. I was a bit putout that my sister had betrayed me and told Em all about it.

I felt a bit better after I talked to Emmett though. He'd told me about his experience with his singer and how it had ended badly. Singers rarely survived. The pull of their blood was too much for us.

Two days spent in a cave in the woods was enough for me, and I was more than ready to head back to the cabin. We raced back, stopping to hunt here and there, and I sighed with relief when we arrived home, and the smell of the boy no longer lingered in the air.

Once settled back in, I hoped that we could have a few more quiet days. I knew that Samuel Allison was out there, and I feared he would find out the truth about Alice and me, but I wasn't going to worry about it at the moment. For now, I was going to enjoy my time with Edward.

* * *

**a/n: As always, I'm interested in hearing what you thought about the chapter! Drop me a line and let me know! See you next Friday/Saturday.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: thank you all for the reviews! I love hearing what you all have to say. Now, this chapter comes with a lemon warning (or two), and a big thanks to gatorgrl91 for her suggestion. Big thanks to Gigi Scott as well for helping with commas and word errors. Without these lovely ladies, my chapters would be comma-less and a mess.**

* * *

"So, we'll see you in two days. I can't wait! I've missed you so much!" Alice squealed in my ear, and I nodded even though she couldn't see me. The Spanish crossword puzzle in front of me held me captivated, and it took a moment for my brain to catch up to Alice.

"Wait. What?"

"Seriously, Bella? Haven't you heard a word I said?" she asked, sounding a bit put out.

"Uh … no."

"Put the crossword puzzle down and pay attention to me. The two of you are going to Forks on Tuesday to visit Esme and Carlisle. Jasper and I will be there as well. It's been too long since we've seen each other."

"I don't recall making any decisions to visit Forks," I told her, frowning a bit. Sometimes, I really hated her ability to see things. It made me feel as though I couldn't do anything without her seeing, and that was slightly unnerving.

"Well you did, or Edward did. One of you did, and I saw it, so now you're going. Don't you want to see me?" she asked, and I could just see her pouting on the other end of the phone.

"Of course, I do," I told her. "I just—"

"Great!" she interrupted. "See you in a few days."

And then she hung up. I stared at my phone for a few seconds before tossing it on the coffee table in front of me. I felt like I had just been run over by a steamroller. Oh, wait. I had. A steamroller named Alice. She'd never been that assertive before her change, and while it wasn't a bad thing, it annoyed me a little.

"Forks?" Edward asked, leaning over the back of the couch, and I caught a whiff of the Axe body wash that he used.

"Apparently, we're going on Tuesday," I said, tilting my head back so he could drop a kiss on my lips.

"Sounds good. I've been missing the family," he told me. I frowned at him because I'd been dying from cabin fever. We'd been holed up in the cabin for weeks since the close call with my singer, and anytime I had mentioned going somewhere, he'd told me he wanted to stay home. It had caused a small amount of tension between us, and I'd begun to feel that he didn't trust me out in public. Sure, I was still a newborn, but I'd done a fucking good job at controlling myself except for a handful of times.

"Oh, so it's okay for us to visit the family, but I can't go into town to get a new book?" I snapped, getting up from the couch. "I'm so fucking tired of being trapped in this cabin! I need to be doing something, not sitting here solving crossword puzzles! I could be out there hunting down and taking out child killing vamps!"

Edward stood there staring at me, a look of disbelief on his face. "You had an extremely close call, and I felt that keeping you away from humans was the right thing to do for the time being."

"You had no right to make that call! I've been doing just fine around humans with the help of my shield, and you know that I rarely go out in public without it!"

He ran a hand through his hair, anger emanating from him. "Well excuse me for wanting to keep you from making any more fucking mistakes!" he roared back.

I stared at him, unable to believe what he'd just said. I hadn't made any fucking mistakes. Had I come close? Yes, of course I had. I was human aft—well, I was a newborn still. But, I hadn't killed anybody. Human blood had never touched my lips, and it never would. If I had to keep my shield wrapped around me twenty-four/seven then, I would.

Furious, I headed toward the front door and took off. Edward had pissed me off before but never to this extent. I could hear him calling my name, his footsteps pounding the ground as he came after me, and it only made me run faster. Anger and fury were clouding my mind, and I'd left because I knew I would say something I would regret.

I ran for miles only stopping when I came to the edge of a small town. With my shield wrapped securely around me, I skirted around the outside of the town and kept going. I didn't know nor care where I was headed, but God, it felt so fucking good to run. The more I ran, the less angry I became, and I felt free. I could hear Edward running behind me, but now he was keeping his distance and just letting me run for which I was grateful. I still wasn't sure I wanted to talk to him at the moment.

I ran for hours before slowing down and coming to a stop. I wasn't sure where I was, but I didn't really care. I was just glad to be out of the cabin. I found a boulder and sat down on it, listening as Edward approached.

"I'm sorry," he said, coming up behind me. "I was out of line."

"Yes, you were," I said, crossing my arms and purposely not looking at him. I wasn't as angry as I had been, but I wasn't quite ready to let him know that. It wouldn't hurt for him to grovel a bit because his words had hurt me.

I heard him let out a sigh before he moved around until he was in my line of sight. He knelt down in front of me, taking my hands in his.

"Look at me, please," he begged softly, and I finally met his gaze. His amber eyes were sad and held a hint of regret.

"I'm sorry for what I said and for behaving like an—"

"Overprotective ass?" I interjected.

He nodded, a small smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, for being an overbearing and overprotective ass. I just wanted to protect you from making a mistake that would haunt you."

"I get that, but I haven't made any mistakes, and for you to say that I had, really pissed me off. Yes, I've had close calls, but I have never tasted human blood. Ever!"

"I know, Bella. I know, and I want to keep it that way. I admit that I freaked out after the incident with your singer. I truly am sorry. Forgive me?"

Looking at the beautiful face before me and into those beautiful, expressive eyes, I had no choice but to forgive him. He'd done what he thought was best, and even though he'd been way off base and completely wrong, he had done it for the right reasons. He just wanted to prevent me from making a mistake I couldn't live with. I got that.

"Fine, you're forgiven, but if you ever pull anything like that again, I will kick your ass."

"I know you will," he said, leaning in to drop a kiss on my lips. That sweet simple kiss soon turned hot and heavy.

My fingers delved into his silky hair as I pulled him closer, and I felt like I couldn't get close enough. Soon, I needed more than just his hot kisses. I could feel him hard and erady against my stomach, and I needed him in the most primal of ways. I couldn't wait to have his cock buried balls deep inside me. Pulling away, I ripped his shirt from his body and let out a moan at the sight of his taught abs. My man was nothing if not sexy. He let out a moan as I smoothed my hands down his torso and made way for his belt. Unbuckling it, I slowly and teasingly slid the zipper of his jeans down, letting his cock srping free. A sly grin spead across my face when I heard him let out a low growl.

"Quit teasing, woman," he snarled before ripping his jeans off himself and yanking me to him.

Seconds later, I was lying on the boulder wearing nothing. Edward leaned down, capturing my mouth with his before he began to slowly make his way down my body. Gentle kisses, teasing nibbles, and stinging love bites assaulted my body as he moved over me. The man was driving me fucking insane. There was only one place I wanted his mouth, and he knew it. Slowly, teasingly, he spread my legs before dropping light kisses upon my thighs. I squirmed in delight, more than ready for what I knew was about to come. Pun intended!

Edward dipped his head once more and placed the gentlest of kisses upon my clit before taking it into his mouth and sucking lightly. A moan escaped me at the same time the sounds of multiple heartbeats rang in my ears.

"Fuck!" Edward muttered against me, causing shivers to rack my frame. "They're getting close."

"So was I," I muttered as he left me and tossed me my clothes. Fucking cockblocked by hikers. Figured.

"This isn't over," he said with a grin once he was dressed in his jeans, his shirt a lost cause. Damn, right it wasn't. The fact that I was going to have to wait to have my man had left me annoyed.

Tossing a wink my way, Edward told me to climb onto his back, and he'd run us back to the cabin. I knew there was no way in hell I could wait that long. With my legs wrapped securely around his waist, Edward took off running, and I couldn't help but groan as my overly sensitive parts rubbed against him.

I was unable to keep myself from rubbing against him, from touching him, or nibbling on his ears. He was too sexy to resist, so I didn't even try, especially when I heard a low purr rise from his chest. Seconds later, Edward came to an abrupt stop, and I slid off his back and quickly found myself underneath him on the cold ground.

Our clothes were ripped off once again, and Edward picked up where he'd left off. His mouth was all over me, and I moaned and gasped as his tongue did things to me that should have been illegal. He didn't take his time, but instead, he took me quickly, causing my orgasm to take me by surprise. As I was still calling out his name, he moved and slid into me swiftly. There was nothing like having Edward's cock inside me. While the man was amazingly gifted when it came to using his mouth on me, he was even more amazing when inside me. Long, hard, swift thrusts had me clinging to him tightly, and I loved the power that emanated from him. After a few more thrusts, I felt my orgasm approaching, and my nails dug into the skin on his back. Not that he was complaining.

"Hang on, baby. I'm almost there," he panted in my ear, and I did my best to keep from falling over the edge before he was ready. Two more thrusts later, his back arched, his head fell back, and my name erupted from his lips just as his erupted from mine.

Sated and more than satisfied, we lay on the ground still connected. I was perfectly content to just lie there and not move, but Edward had other ideas.

"C'mon," he said, standing up and stretching, and my eyes drank him in. He was so fucking beautiful.

Offering his hand, he helped me off the ground and into my clothes. Or at least, what was left of them. We'd been a bit hasty in removing them, and our clothes weren't much more than tattered strips of fabric held together by a thread. I really hoped we didn't run into anyone on the way back although chances were slim that we would.

The run home was quick, and the first thing I did once we were back was hop in the shower. I had dirt all over my body, not to mention my hair was filled with dirt as well as twigs. I wouldn't have been surprised to find a small animal in there. After scrubbing away Mother Nature, I got out and dressed in some comfy pajamas. I wasn't planning on going anywhere for a while, so I settled in on the couch with a movie and Edward.

* * *

_Don't even think about not going_, the text from Alice read. I rolled my eyes at her even though she couldn't see me. Except, well, she could see me. So, I knew I was going to be in for it when I saw her in person. I was busy packing clothes for our trip to Forks, and I'd honestly been debating on whether to go or not. It wasn't that I didn't want to see the family. I did. But, I'd become spoiled by the privacy and alone time that Edward and I had. It was going to be strange being around everyone again, knowing they could hear everything you did. I had no idea how long we were staying, so I wasn't sure how much to pack. Another text from Alice told me we'd be going shopping with Rosalie and Esme so not to worry. Right, because shopping with Rosalie was going to be such a fun filled event.

After our confrontation with Aro, Rosalie had decided that our tentative truce was up, and she'd gone straight back to being the raging bitch that she was. I'd attempted to be nice despite her attitude because I knew Carlisle and Esme wanted us to get along. Sadly, I couldn't keep up the niceties forever and decided that ignoring Rosalie was my best course of action. But, I had made it perfectly clear to her that should she come after me or anyone else in the family, I would tear her fucking head off.

"Ready?" Edward asked, standing in the doorway and interrupting my thoughts.

"Yeah," I said, tossing him the bag before following him out to the Range Rover. We'd left my car at the house in Forks when we'd decided to live on our own. Edward had built the cabin with Emmett's help back in the 1950s, and the only way to reach it was with a 4-wheel drive. I'd hated leaving my baby behind, and I made Emmett swear to take care of it. He promised he would before telling me that Rosalie was an amazing mechanic. I didn't care if she was the goddess of fucking mechanics. I'd told Em in no uncertain terms was Rosalie allowed to touch my car. Just thinking about her perfectly manicured hands touching my baby got my venom flowing.

"You okay?" Edward asked after we got in the car, and he began to drive down the dirt driveway.

"Yeah," I said nodding. "Just thinking about how great it's going to be to drive my car and how Rosalie better not have fucking touched it."

"She really is a good mechanic," he told me, and I shook my head.

"Don't care!" I sang. "You know cars, so if something happens to mine, you can fix it."

It was a little over a twelve hour drive from our little paradise in Canada to Forks, and the trip reminded me once again how much I missed sleeping. I used to enjoy taking naps on long trips. Now, I just stared out the window watching the scenery go by, reading from one of the many books I'd brought along, or talking to Edward.

"We should be there soon," Edward said, interrupting my thoughts at the same time I got a text from Alice.

"Alice said our ETA is eight minutes and fourteen seconds," I told him after reading the text.

"She's such a know-it-all," he said with a grin.

Exactly eight minutes and fourteen seconds later, we were coming to a stop in the drive of the Forks house, and an overly enthusiastic Alice was pulling me out of the car. Wrapped up in her hug, I squeezed her back, extremely happy to see her. We'd grown closer than ever before after my change, and we did our best to stay in touch as often as possible.

The second Alice let go of me, I was caught up in a fierce hug from Esme. She rocked us back and forth, proclaiming all the while that she'd missed me so much. I'd missed her a lot too.

Once Edward and I had been hugged, we headed inside to drop our bag off in his room. While I was making my way back downstairs, I ran into Rosalie who was coming up the stairs. She shoulder checked me and then sent me a nasty look before telling me to watch where I was going. I rolled my eyes at her childish behavior before wrapping my shield around her, causing her to trip. It was a new development I'd discovered one day when Edward had been irritating me. I didn't even bother to contain my snicker as she stumbled over her feet. If she wanted to play, then game on.

Rosalie whirled around, fire in her eyes as she tried to come after me. However, my shield kept her in place, and I watched as her jaw clenched. I expected fire to start pouring out of her mouth at any second. Instead, she started spouting profanities. That was when Esme made her way up the stairs and stopped in front of Rosalie, her hands planted on her hips.

"We talked about this, Rosalie. You agreed to be pleasant when we told you that Edward and Bella were coming for a visit. If you can't be nice, then you'll need to leave. And, if I hear you swearing like that again, I will wash your mouth out with soap," she told Rosalie in a stern voice.

It took everything in me not to gloat. I had to admit, I was really enjoying watching Esme berate Rosalie like she was a child who'd done wrong.

Once Esme had her say, she turned to me and linked her arm through mine. "Let's head back downstairs and catch up."

Esme and I headed back to the living room where Alice was sitting on the couch waiting for us. The men had gone off for a quick hunt and to catch up. The three of us were soon talking about what it was like living with our guys. Apparently, neither Edward nor Carlisle could manage to get their dirty clothes in the hamper. I found it absolutely hilarious because Carlisle seemed like such a neat person. Alice told us how much it annoyed her that Jasper would sit on the bed or the couch with his boots on, and he would occasionally go out in public wearing these God-awful plaid pants. I couldn't help but giggle at that image. Thankfully, Edward didn't wear awful plaid pants and cowboy boots, but he was a bit like Carlisle in the sense he wasn't as neat as he seemed to be. Actually, I'd learned a lot about Edward from living with him. I'd learned that as much of a badass as he was, he was truly a momma's boy. If Esme called, Edward dropped whatever it was he was doing to talk to her. Edward could be incredibly foul-mouthed and dirty, and he could also be the sweetest, most romantic man on the planet. The love I felt for him was sometimes overwhelming.

"So, you're really okay after meeting your singer?" Alice asked, changing the subject once our men came walking in the backdoor.

"I am thanks to Edward. It was close for a few minutes, and it really scared me, if I'm being honest. I was so out of control that I couldn't even shield myself."

"Looks like you're not perfect after all," Rosalie said from upstairs, her voice full of hostility.

"Never said I was," I replied dryly. If anything, I was far from perfect, and my first few months as a newborn had certainly proved that.

Just then the boys came in, and Edward took a seat on the floor in front of me. I couldn't help but run my fingers through his hair. I fucking loved it.

Emmett plopped down next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I gave him a smile and leaned against him. He told me once again about his horrible encounter with his singer and how bad he still felt about it.

"It's a part of vampire life, and it sucks, but ..." he shrugged. "It happens to the best of us."

A while later, Alice suggested us girls go hunting, and I was less than pleased that Rosalie was coming with us. I figured she wouldn't be on her best behavior, but I made the decision to ignore her. Alice looked over and gave me a small wink. The four of us headed out into the woods surrounding the house, and I took a deep breath. I did love the smell of the woods and the hint of rain in the air. I had missed the northwest.

Deer were plentiful in the forest, and Alice and I took off together to hunt. We ran for a while before taking down a couple of deer each. I'd gotten better at not getting blood and dirt all over my clothes, something which Alice was very proud about. She was extremely serious about her clothes, whereas I couldn't care less.

"Are you happy?" she asked me after we'd sated our thirst.

A huge smile crossed my face. "Yeah, I am. I never would have thought I'd be happy as a vampire, and I think that if Edward wasn't in my life, I would have been miserable. I probably would have let someone take me out. But since I have Edward and you as well as the rest of the family, I'm happy. And you?"

Her smile said it all. "Extremely. I love Jasper so much, and he loves me."

We hung out in the woods chatting for a few hours before our guys came looking for us. We hopped on their backs as they raced back toward the house. Jasper never stood a chance against Edward, but we had a blast. We were all cracking up as we entered the house, and Rosalie shot us dirty looks from her spot at the kitchen table. I ignored her and headed upstairs to take a shower while the others hung out in the kitchen to talk to Rosalie. According to Alice, she and Rosalie got along pretty well because they had a love for fashion and gossip magazines.

Once in the bathroom off of Edward's bedroom, I undressed as the water warmed up. It's not that I needed warm water, but I did enjoy the way it felt against my cool skin. I was in the process of washing my hair when I heard the door open, and I smelled the wonderful scent that was all Edward. I heard him toss his clothes on the floor, and then the shower curtain slid to the side. I cracked an eye open and watched as Edward climbed into the shower.

"Need some help?"

I grinned at him. "Sure," I said, handing him the bottle of conditioner.

He carefully maneuvered us so that he was behind me. He poured some conditioner into his hands before running his thrm through my hair, and then he turned me around. Soon, soapy hands were running over bodies, and I got so lost in the sensations that I forgot we weren't alone.

It wasn't until Emmett started making porn music noises downstairs that I remembered they could hear everything we were doing. Talk about a mood killer. With sighs, we broke apart and quickly finished our shower.

"We'll finish this later," Edward whispered in my ear before placing a kiss next to it. I was holding him to that.

* * *

It was a cold ,rainy day with lightening that lit up the sky, and thunder rumbling in the air. I loved days like this, and I was spending it curled up on our bed reading a book. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett were downstairs playing a video game while Alice and Rosalie had gone shopping. Carlisle was at work, and Esme was doing volunteer work at the hospital. I was enjoying hanging out by myself, truth be told.

I got so lost in the wonderful romance brewing between the characters in the pages of my book that I failed to notice my phone ringing. It wasn't until Edward asked me if I was going to answer it that I realized it was ringing.

I marked my spot in the book before picking up my phone and noticing that Jensen was calling. I'd talked to him a few weeks ago, and I couldn't imagine why he was calling. Rolling onto my back, I answered my phone.

"Hey, Jensen."

"Sam—" he gasped out, and I frowned. He sounded like he was having a hard time breathing.

"Samuel Allison?" I asked.

"He knows," he managed to get out in between wheezes. "He's headed to Forks."

I almost dropped the phone. "What? How did he find out?"

I got no response before I heard the phone fall to the floor, and I was on my feet and down the stairs in a flash. Something bad had happened to Jensen, and I knew I was right when Alice came flying through the door.

"Samuel Allison attacked Jensen," she yelled, her words coming out in a rush as she skidded to a stop in front of me.

"I know. Jensen called me and tried to tell me what happened. I think he's hurt really bad. We need to—"

"I know. We need to leave now."

I grabbed my keys from the peg next to the door and was outside before I realized I needed to let the others know that Samuel was on his way. I turned around and found myself face to face with Edward who had a look of worry on his face.

"I have to go," I told him. "I have to get to Jensen. Samuel Allison attacked him and is headed here. You need to warn Esme and Carlisle."

Edward looked over at Emmett and Rosalie who were standing on the porch, and Emmett gave Edward a nod.

"We should take the Bentley. It's faster," Edward said right as I was about to slide behind the wheel of my car. Edward was right. A Bentley would be much faster.

Running toward the garage, Alice, Jasper, Edward, and I got into the car and were quickly tearing out of the driveway. I hoped like hell we got to Jensen before it was too late.

* * *

**a/n: Oh noes! Poor Jensen (who is named after Jensen Ackles from _Supernatural_ in case you didn't know). As always, I'd love to hear what you have to say.**


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